White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) Report for 2009/10
Season.
The 1004 records I have obtained so far are 420 more than the
previous season. Thank you so much for making a great effort this
year & for sharing these records.
The first Australian sighting for the season that I know of, was made
on 18 Sept 2009, in NSW and is 24 days earlier than the first
reported sighting for last season, and is more like the average
timing in previous years. It was of 25 birds seen at Bundjalung NP (S
of Evan Head) by Bob Moffatt. Bob saw another one there the
following day then Michael Cheers saw four at Sawtell on 27 Sept.
The first record from Qld was from “Tiddalac” Upper Lockyer, where
Mick Atzeni saw 25 on 3 Oct. The first group observed in Victoria
was of four birds seen at Genoa (4 Nov) by Nick Day & Andrew
Weggoner. The first reported observation from ACT was of 1 bird on
8th December, seen by Peter Miller at Hackett. The first SA record
was made at Millicent where Adrian Boyle’s parents saw 15 birds 31
Jan. The first record for Tasmania was made by Eric Woehler at Baker
Beach (somewhere on the Central N coast), where 15 birds were seen on
18 Feb.
There were no reported records from the NT or WA this last season.
There were 5 records from TAS, 6 from SA, 8 from ACT, 190 from Qld,
179 from Vic, & 380 from NSW.
This season there were four sightings of a thousand or more birds.
Three were in NSW made by Martin Chard, Ian Kerr & Bob Moffatt. One
was in Qld, made by Tom Tarrant. There were 14 sightings of 300 or
more birds: 7 from Qld, 5 from NSW, and 2 from Vic.
These flock sizes are low compared with the records for say the
1957/58 season when nine flocks of more than a thousand birds were
recorded. Four of those came from Tasmania. The largest flock
recorded that season was 12,000 WTNT, and was seen at Antill Ponds in
Tasmania.
The average flock size this season was 48 compared to 37 for last year.
The last sightings were 5 birds at Maramingo (Princes Hwy just S of
NSW border, Vic) 10 April obs by Ron Becker, 2 obs at Tolderol GR in
SA 21 April. Then Marlene Lyell saw 7 birds just North of Axedale
nr Bendigo in Vic on 19 May. These last birds would be considered as
probably over-wintering birds (my data in Table 1 of HANZAB Vol 4,
p1074 )
Thanks again to all those who have taken the trouble to send me your
sightings. Here is the alphabetically arranged list of contributors
with their number of reported sightings in brackets: Peter Abbott
(1), D Adams (1), Irene Allen (40), Robert Allen (2), John Allsop
(10), Chris Armstrong (2), Michael Atzeni (15), Jacquie & Len Axen
(10), Chris Barnes, (2), Peter Barrand (1), Tim Bawden (6), Ron
Becker (4), Wilma Becker (22), Liz Benson (1), Tim Birch (1), Birds
Australia Atlas (140), Blue Mtns Bird Observers (1), Greg Bortolussi
(3), Adrian Boyle (1), Shane Brady (2), D Bright (1), Ian & Jill
Brown (1), Warren Brown (3), Celia Browne (3), Ray Bryant (2), Lynda
Bullen (2), Paul Burcher (4), Steve Burke (1), Martin Butterfield
(1), Martin Cachard (1), Jim Caine (1), Margaret Cameron (14), Nev
Capelll (1), John Carpenter (1), Michael Cheers (2), Greg Clancey
(38), Steve Clark (1), Debbie Colbourne (3), Henry Coleman (2), Bob
Cook (1), Barbara Crighton (1), Peter Crow (1), Ben Darlow (1), Steve
Davidson (7), Arron Davies (1), Nick Day (5), James Dening (2), Jill
Denning (3), Paul & Ruth Dodd (3), Tim Dolby (2), Sean Dooley (4),
Robert Dougherty (11), Paul Doyle (2), Tony Eales (1), Jan England
(2), Len Ezzy (1), Far South Coast Birdwatchers (2), Rob Farnes (1),
Mrs Alex Ferguson (2), L Field (1), Eric Finley (4), Trevor Ford (2),
Dougald Frederick (1), Col Gibson (1), Tony Gibson (1), Matt & Cathy
Gilfedder (29), Alan Gillanders (2), Gloria Glass (1), Jason Goodwin
(2), Mark Graham (3), Chris Gregory (1), Phil Gregory (6), John
Hamilton (1), Brian Hawkins (1), Bryan & P Haywood (3), Chris Healey
(18), Frank Hemmings (3), Bastian Hensen (31), Liz Herbert (1), Robin
Hide (1), Bas Hensen (24), Peter Higgins (27), Peter Horler (6), Matt
Hughes (2), Michael Hunter (3), John Huchison (1), Carla Jackett (2),
Gavin Jackson (3), Paul Jackson (1), T Jarman (1), Dick Jenkin (4),
Andy Jensen (10), Barbara Jones (3), D Jones (1), Brian Johnston (1),
Richard Johnston (3), Ian Kerr (2), Des King (2), Neil Kirby (1),
David Kleinert (1), Laurie Knight (7), John & Claire Kooistra (4),
Russ Lamb (11), D Lambert (1), John Leonard (1), Paul Lester (1),
Andrew Ley (12), Mark Ley (1), Greg Little (1), Noel Longergan (1),
Marlene Lyell (1), Doug Lyons (2), Ian McAllan (1), Alan McBride (9),
Steve McBride (1), Pat McConnell (1), Roger McGovern (1), David
Mackenzie (1), Barry McLean (1), John McLennan (1), Max Markey (7),
Ray Marston (4), Adrian Martins (1), Lee Mason (4), Clive Meadows
(4), Lorna Mee (1), Rosalie Merigan (15), Maria Merkling (4), Peter
Miller (1), I. Mitchener (1), Bob Moffatt (11), Bill Moorhead (3),
Bill & Jack Moorhead (10), Alan Morris (3), Rob Morris (1), Colin
Mulvogue (1), Troy Mutton (3), RG Nathan (8), Julie Neumann (1),
Terrill Nordstrom (2), John & Beverley O’Brien (1), Paul Osborne
(15), Des Palmer (2), Kay Parkin (1), Phil Penlington (5), Harvey
Perkins (1), Stuart Pickering (4), Margaret Pointer (1), Carol
Probets (10), Trevor Quested (3), Michael Ramsey (10), John
Rawsthorne (2), David Redhead (1), J Reed (2), Colin Reid (6), John
Reidy (2), Mick Roderick (16), Steve Roderick (1), Chris Ross (3),
Chris Sanderson (1), G Santos (1), Colin Scouler (1), Bob Semmens
(17), Merrilyn Serong (1), Ken Sherring (4), S Skelton (1), Jim Smart
(9), Dennis Smith (1), Nicole Spillane (1), Jenny Spry (1), Mark
Stanley (1), Matthew Stanton (6), Simon Starr (1), David Stowe (1),
Wes & Norma Sturdee (1), Michael Tarburton (58), Tom Tarrant (3),
Andrew Taylor (1), Jean Taylor (1), Warren Thompson (1), Dirk & Wulan
Tomsa (2), Dave Torr, (3), Esther Townsend (1), Brian Tuney (22),
Suzanne Tunks (1), Graham Turner (10), Edwin Vella (3), Brian
Venables (1), D Waldon (4), K Waldon (1), Trevor Waller (1), Andrew
Weggoner (3), Brook Whylie (1), Tom Wilson (3), Eric Woehler (1),
Michael Wood (2), Russell Woodford (3), Arwen Ximenes (3), Harry
Zawacki (1), Marnix Zwankhuizen (1),
Happy swift watching.
Mike Tarburton.
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Michael Tarburton
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