birding-aus

Missing migrants

To: <>
Subject: Missing migrants
From: Carol Probets <>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:57:30 +1100
In the Capertee Valley last week I saw a few Singing Bushlarks and heard one Stubble Quail, but many of the other migrants do seem to have been drawn further inland. We're seeing very few White-winged Trillers, I haven't found a Painted Honeyeater yet this season (they usually arrive in mid-Sept), and not a single White-browed or Masked Woodswallow. Rufous Songlarks are present but not in anywhere near the numbers they are in some years, and no Brown seen.

As for ducks, the Lithgow sewage ponds have been completely devoid of Pink-eared for some months now, and more recently the Blue-billed Ducks have disappeared.

Mick's comment regarding the Banded Lapwings is interesting. Consistent with this we had an unexpected sighting of 4 Banded Lapwings on Aarons Pass Road just south of Pyramul on 17th October with a Follow That Bird group. This is in the tablelands in the region south of Mudgee.

Up here in the wet forests of the Blue Mountains, strangely I have not recorded a single Rufous Fantail this season. Have others been seeing them? They must be around somewhere.

Cheers,

Carol




At 10:48 PM +1100 27/10/10, Mick Roderick wrote:
Hi Keith,

As far as I can tell thus far there have been no reports of WwTrillers in the Hunter either. In the lead-up to the Twitchathon I have been searching for both Songlarks / Bushlark in their usual haunts and have come up empty-handed. There was one report of Rufous Songlark from near Sandy Hollow about a month ago but this has been the only one to date. I have spent a lot of time in their usual spots recently without anything.

We might have more success in the extreme west of the valley, around Goulburn River NP, this weekend. (fingers crossed)

I did think that I heard Stubble Quail around Morpeth recently, but it was windy and possibly a trick of wishful thinking. One thing that is noteworthy is that I counted 17 Banded Lapwings near Morpeth on Sunday. Why would these guys be here in numbers yet so many others that prefer to be "west" absent?

To add to your absentee list (migrant-wise), there has been no sign of Whiskered Terns either. White-browed / Masked Woodswallows have barely been reported in NSW, let alone in sub-coastal areas.

There have been no Red-kneed Dotterel or Pink-eared Duck (aside from one rogue bird on an inaccessible dam) either, since pretty much Dec 27 2009. Native-hens same (and there were numerous here pre-NYE).

At least you guys have had a Wood Sands or two!

A few people have commented to me about raptors and when I think about it, it's been a long time since I've even seen a Brown Falcon in the Hunter (though I'm sure they're here, but surely in lesser numbers).

It will make for an interesting Twitchathon.

Mick




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Keith Brandwood <>
To: birdingaus <>
Sent: Wed, 27 October, 2010 3:27:47 PM
Subject: [Birding-Aus] some migrants missing

Hello everyone, This year in the Hawkesbury looks as though we are going to miss out on the White winged Trillers, Brown,and Rufous Songlarks, Singing Bushlark and Stubble Quail I have looked long and hard but have not as yet recorded any of them. They are usually early arrivals here. Any one else seen any of them. Then again why would you fly to the Hawkesbury when conditions inland are probably as good if not better. Although I dot ever remember a year when they did not come?
the beautiful Hawkesbury 60km N/W of Sydney




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