birding-aus

Double-banded Plover and other waders (belatedreport from NSW)

To: BirdingAus <>
Subject: Double-banded Plover and other waders (belatedreport from NSW)
From: Michael Tarburton <>
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 18:54:34 +1000
G'day Nikolas

One of the main factors in determining where Pacific Golden Plovers roost is whether Masked Lapwings are in the area or not.

In areas where lapwings are not resident such as Eastern PNG, Solomon Islands, Samoa & Fiji I have found they love to use grassed areas such as ovals and school playgrounds. In Central PNG and much of Australia, where there are Masked Lapwings they are only occasionally seen roosting on grassed areas. In fact at PAU just out of Port Moresby in PNG we used to watch the lapwings chase the plovers off the uni lawns. After some years some of the plovers worked out that if they stood on the water-lily leaves in one of the lakes they were left alone - for apparently the Lapwings do not see floating water-lilies as part of their territory and possible competitors are allowed to use that substrate. After all it is an area that lapwings do not use for finding their food. The plovers would sneak onto the lawns from the water-lilies and feed when the lapwings were distracted by passing predators or chased off by passing people.

In western Australia before the Burwood casino took over a lovely and diverse shelly beach, mud flat and reed bed wetland I used to find many golden plovers on the mud with the other waders.

Happy wader watching

Mike

PS does any one have some late swift sightings to whet my appetite. Many thanks.

Michael Tarburton
Melbourne

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On 07/04/2008, at 9:39 AM, Greg & Val Clancy wrote:

Hi Nikolas,

It is true that Golden Plovers prefer salt marsh and grassy fields but can also regularly be seen on mud/sand flats.


Greg Clancy

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