Interesting musings indeed, Greg.
I tape-recorded the species in the Conondale Ranges in '79, and of more
significance, the late David Behrens spent a couple of weeks with them in
1993 recording as many of their calls as he could.
David did this in association with the work of scientists of the Biological
Section of the Forestry Division of the Department of Primary Industries.
They were mist-netting and radio tracking the frogmouths, and one purpose of
David's extensive recording was to enable them to try to identify individual
birds by the sound patterns of their calls.
Do you happen to know, Greg, whether anything was published from this work?
I think that David told me that the scientist in charge of the work was a Dr
Geoffrey (or Jeffry?) Smith.
One of their common calls ends with a very loud 'clap'. Is it known
whether this is a voiced sound, or made by snapping the beak? Or even with
the wings?
(David noted that when called up by replay they sometimes approach with very
noisy wing-flaps though their normal flight is silent.)
Cheers
Syd
> From: "Greg Roberts" <>
> Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 20:41:04 +1000
> To: <>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] marbled frogmouth musings
>
> This evening I had a pair of Marbled Frogmouths in the Mapleton Forest
> Reserve in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The birds were quite vocal given
> the time of year.
> This is the seventh pair of Marbled Frogmouths I've found in the Blackall
> Range since last October, at six different sites.
> When I found the plumiferus race of Marbled Frogmouth in the Conondale
> Range, not far from here, in 1976, the subspecies - restricted to southeast
> Queensland and northeast NSW - had not been seen for several decades; its
> call was unknown. It is hard to believe now that the frogmouth went
> undetected for so long, especially given its unsual and amply audible
> vocalisations. Yet prior to the 1976 discovery, I and birding colleagues
> such as Chris Corben and Glen Ingram spent many a night camped in suitable
> habitat, including several times at the site where I found them, without any
> sign of Marbled Frogmouths. The same can be said for many other observers,
> even though nocturnal birding back then was a bit of a niche market and not
> as popular as it is now.
> There are only two explanations. Either it was case of extraordinary chance
> that the birds were overlooked, or for some unknown reason, the population
> increased shortly before or during the mid-1970s. If the latter, there may
> be a glimmer of hope yet for the frog Rheobatrachus silus and Coxen's
> Fig-Parrot, among other lost critters.
> Greg Roberts
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