hello David
I have been digging up these stones (along with many other people) at the
Alcoota fossil site which has many dromornithids and some emus in it (among
other beasts). The two palaeontologists who ran the site argued regularly over
what they were - big bird gizzard stones or just river gravel? Sadly one of
them died last year (on-site) so the argument is not resolved. The stones get
mentioned occasionally - see p.262 in Peter Murray and Pat Vickers-Rich's book
"Magnificent Mihirungs" where there is a short summary and references.
I have a glass jar full of these stones and will be back at Alcoota next
month to see if I can finally find a fish fossil (am an ichthyologist not
palaeontologist), or the upper dromornithid beak to match the lower one I found
3 years ago.
Helen
<')/////==<
________________________________
From: "" <>
To: birding aus <>
Sent: Mon, 7 June, 2010 18:02:03
Subject: [Birding-Aus] Emu gizzard stones
I have just returned from a week's fieldwork at Ned's Corner in NW
Victoria.
While looking for megafauna bones and Aboriginal occupation sites at Little
Lake Walla Walla, we came across a deposit of small stones that were
clearly not cultural and were not a result of normal sedimentary processes.
The best explanation we could come up with was Emu gizzard stones or
gastroliths (or perhaps Genyornis gizzard stones).
I recall a paper several years ago that looked at the use of Aboriginal
stone artefacts as gizzard stones and their subsequent re-distribution
across the landscape but I am not aware any papers on gizzard stones. If
anyone knows of any gizzard stone studies, I would appreciate the
reference.
There is an inherent conflict between archaeology and bird observation but
I did manage to look up on enough occasions to see a good range of Mallee
birds including Mulga and Red-rumped Parrots, Bluebonnets, Mallee
Ringnecks, Southern Whitefaces, White-winged Fairy-wrens, Yellow- and
White-plumed, Singing and Black Honeyeaters, Grey and Pied Butcherbirds
(with overlapping territories), Black, Whistling and Black-shouldered Kites
and lots more.
Thanks
David
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