G'day B-A list readers
It is nice to see a wide geographic spread of White-throated
Needletail sightings over the last fortnight, however I have been
aware of very few sightings from Tassie in the last few years. Is it
that the numbers have fallen so much that they do not need to travel
as far as Tassie any more to find sufficient food to make the trip
back to Siberia?. It appears they probably used to divert from the
Gippsland forests south to Wilsons Promontory and on to Tasmania.
Ray Marston who lives at Boolarra between Morwell and Wilsons
Promontory used to have 1-2000 birds pass over to the South each year
up to 1995. It is thought these were heading to Tasmania but since
then less than 50 birds has been the norm with only ten and two
making to the South over his place in the last two seasons. The
forests around his area have not changed significantly in the last 20
years.
If they are still going to Tasmania in numbers but no one is seeing
them then maybe now is a good time to look for them as I saw two
flocks today over Bunyip SP (E of Gembrook which is E of Melbourne).
There were 200+ and 40+ in the two flocks and they were heading
South. They were using the Southerly wind to spiral upwards and then
flew directly South. I have seen this before at the same place
(albeit at lower altitudes) and traced them to the southern hills in
Bunyip Park, but today they were not there, they over-flew that area
and I think Wilsons Prom and Tassie are likely destinations for those
birds.
So please keep an eye out if you are down there and let me know how
many and where you see them.
Happy swift watching
Mike
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Michael Tarburton
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www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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