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Woodswallows on Norfolk Island

To: Mike Carter <>
Subject: Woodswallows on Norfolk Island
From: Alan McBride <>
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:28:59 +1000
Or, when faced with a choice between bird and book:


Believe the bird.


Cheers  ;-)

Alan



On 24/04/2009, at 11:56 AM, Mike Carter wrote:

Margaret Christians book 'Norfolk Island ... The Birds', gives the status of both Masked and White-browed Woodswallow as 'native'. That may be true now for Masked Woodswallow but my understanding is that wasn't always the case and I'd doubt that status for White-browed. In my first visit in 1992 I didn't see either species but in 1998 I saw several Masked Woodswallows. As I recall, they had arrived fairly recently. Masked have been present ever since but I suspected that White-browed had died out. 'Notornis' publishes updates on Norfolk Is birds about every ten years so you could trace the status there. HANZAB says Masked regular but 'not recorded before 1996' and lists White-browed as a vagrant there so the Atlas is right in querying your claim and you should provide justification. Latham's Snipe is a vagrant with several records. I have also seen it there, e.g. 1 at Headstone on 2 March 1998. Because so few of us send our records to the Atlas when holidaying on these offshore islands there are few Atlas entries. An example of this is that recently I was asked whether reports of species at Cocos (Keeling) Islands were likely to be correct. The species queried breed there in large numbers and have done so since the islands were first surveyed!

Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza  VIC 3930
Tel  (03) 9787 7136




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