There have been a few more sightings than you list Tim. Roy Wheeler listed
two records of Red-tailed Tropicbirds in his Handlist of the Birds of
Victoria published by VORG in 1967 but none of White-tailed. I've seen one
Red-tailed from Cape Schanck since that was published. Emison et al. 1987
Atlas of Victorian Birds list one record of Red-tailed during the first
Atlas. They give the status of White-tailed Tropicbird as rare vagrants to
pelagic waters off Victoria and list three records during the period of the
first Atlas. A ship I was on enroute to Sydney flushed one off the sea in
Bass Strait on 22 March 1987 south of Lakes Entrance. There was a spate of
records in Eastern Australia at that time following a cyclone including one
ashore at Lakes Entrance on 15 March 1978 that later died.
Since the Brighton Pier report followed shortly after the one that
crash-landed in the main street of Leongatha I think that it possibly a good
record.
Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Tel (03) 9787 7136
|
