Hi Peter,
I can't speak for what Richard saw, but wader responses to extreme heat are
pretty similar anywhere. They tend to stand with their legs in the water,
and raise their scapular (back) feathers. They have the ability to shunt
hot blood from their body core down their legs, which is cooled by the water
they are standing in, while raising their scapulars allows breeze to remove
heat from the surface of their back.
Regards,
Chris
On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 11:25 AM, <> wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone was crazy enough to be out at the WTP. ; )
>
> What were the majority of waders doing during the heat? Where they feeding
> or roosting?
>
> Did you observe any waders trying to shade themselves in lagoon
> vegetation? Or were they at normal exposed roost positions?
>
> The lagoon closest to Beach Rd is fairly well vegetated and seems to be a
> favored spot for waders at the moment. Was this lagoon well attended?
>
> Interesting Little Friarbird record!
>
> Peter
>
>
>
>
> Several months ago I agreed to take a visiting Danish birder (Gert
> Rasmussen) to the You Yangs and the Western Treatment Plant today, Sat 7th
> Feb (he was to leave for Perth the following day). A young Swedish birder
> (Figge Hermansson) coming to the end of 12 months working in Melbourne
> before returning home next weekend chose to join us for a return visit to
> the WTP (a decision he may have come to regret). As many will now know,
> today was a day of record heat in Victoria. Melbourne recorded its hottest
> day on record (46.4*C - 115.5*F for those old enough to remember the old
> Fahrenheight scale). But the hottest place in the state was Avalon, with a
> recorded maximum of 47.9*C - over 118*F (an extraordinary temperature
> anywhere - but especially for the outskirts of the most southerly large
> city
> in the world!) - the second highest temperature ever recorded in Victoria.
>
> Now Avalon borders the Western Treatment Plant, where we were bravely
> (foolishly?) trying to put together a semi-respectable bird-list for Gert
> (from an air-conditioned car it should be said to protect me from too much
> derision). At around 3pm, after experiencing the most extraordinarily hot
> 50-60kph winds at Kirk Point we jointly agreed that enough was well and
> truly enough - just as the heat reached it's zenith. I've never
> experienced
> anything like it in my 50 or so years of Australian travels (or
> international travels for that matter). I can't start to imagine what my
> two
> Scandinavian guests thought of it all. A day to remember, but not
> primarily
> for the birds.
>
> Surprisingly we still managed some noteworthy sightings: A flock of around
> 30 Rainbow Bee-eaters splashing into the dam near the ranger's station at
> the You Yangs, along with 2 Black-chinned Honeyeaters drinking at the
> water's edge; a Little Friarbird near Toynes Rd just outside the You Yangs
> Park; and a Black Falcon and a small flock of 6 Little Egret at the WTP.
> The
> usual flock of 7 Black-tailed Godwit at Walsh's Lagoon seemed to be just
> that - no Hudsonian to be found, there or elsewhere.
>
>
>
> Richard NOWOTNY
>
> Port Melbourne, Victoria
>
> M: 0438 224 456
>
>
>
> ===============================
> 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:
> ===============================
>
> ===============================
> 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:
> ===============================
>
===============================
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:
===============================
|
