Richard,
I don't have easy access to HANZAB, but there is mention in Western Australian
Bird Notes of a record of Spotless Crakes observed "feeding five feet above the
ground in paperbark trees" at Lake McLarty, about 1.5hrs south of Perth, in
March 2000. The full reference is;
Singor, M 2004, 'Kogolup Crakes', Western Australian Bird Notes, no. 109,
pp.17-19
Cheers,
John Graff
Perth, WA> From: > To: >
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:05:54 +1100> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Crake up a Tree>
> By way of background:> > 1. There is a large waterside sculpture ("urban
art") in Melbourne> Docklands consisting of a stylized cow up an equally
stylized tree. It goes> by the catchy but somewhat unimaginative title of "Cow
up a Tree".> 2. I visited Herdsman Lake in the western suburbs of Perth last
Tuesday> morning (30/12) and to my surprise saw 5 Spotless Crakes at 3
different> locations (first a swimming pair from the boardwalk, and then 3
separate> single sightings around the lake edge). This was surprising in part
because> on 15 previous visits at which I have kept records since April 2005 I
have> seen no crakes at all (although Buff-banded Rail is not uncommon). [I am>
aware that crakes are certainly present (other birders' records, presence of>
calls, regular sightings at nearby Lake Monger, etc) but I have not> previously
managed to see any there - this in spite of a bird-list for the> site which has
now reached 87 species - and was 64 species last Tuesday.]> > However, what was
most surprising was that the sighting of the fifth> Spotless Crake was of a
bird flying out of a small lake-side Swamp Paperbark> (Melaleuca rhaphiophylla)
into a larger WA Flooded Gum (E. rudis) where it> perched on a small branch
around 6 metres off the ground for a few minutes> (hence "Crake up a Tree")
until I inadvertently disturbed it, whereupon it> flew a short distance into a
second small Swamp Paperbark (perhaps 2 metres> tall) and then disappeared -
into the thick grass around its base I presume> (I could find no sign of the
bird on quite close inspection of the tree and> its immediate surrounds). I
have never before seen a crake of any type> anywhere in the world in a tree,
let alone perching high in a eucalypt like> a song-bird. Has anyone else seen
this entirely unexpected behaviour? Is it> reported in HANZAB, HBW or
elsewhere? (I'm presently on holiday and don't> have access to my library. I
could find no reference to such behaviour on> the Web - for Spotless Crake
specifically.)> > Richard Nowotny> > > > > > ===============================>
www.birding-aus.org> birding-aus.blogspot.com> > To unsubscribe from this
mailing list, > send the message:> unsubscribe > (in the body of the message,
with no Subject line)> to: >
===============================
_________________________________________________________________
It's simple! Sell your car for just $40 at CarPoint.com.au
http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fsecure%2Dau%2Eimrworldwide%2Ecom%2Fcgi%2Dbin%2Fa%2Fci%5F450304%2Fet%5F2%2Fcg%5F801459%2Fpi%5F1004813%2Fai%5F859641&_t=762955845&_r=tig_OCT07&_m=EXT==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
=============================
|
