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WTNT report for 2010/11

To: birding-aus <>
Subject: WTNT report for 2010/11
From: Michael Tarburton <>
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:06:22 +1000
White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) Report for 2010/11 Season.

The 992 records I have obtained so far are 268 less than received for the previous season. Thank you so much for making & sharing these records.

Unfortunately many of these sightings are almost useless because no estimate of the number of birds is given or because no particular date is given. For migratory birds that are declining in numbers, and capable of moving long distances in a few days, both these bits of info are very useful. Please include them in your records, e- mails, atlas entries & publications.

The first Australian sighting for the season that I know of, was made on 4 June 2010, in Qld. Leslie Dick an experienced observer saw 6+ at Southport. I presume these and the unspecified number seen at Undara 19 July were birds that overwintered or were pre-breeders that simply were not in a hurry to make it back to NE Asia.

The first records after those were of single birds near Newcastle and in the Hunter valley, NSW. San Williams saw the first of these then Brian Tuney saw 20 near Bellingen and Paul Osborne saw 5 near Bulahdelah, both on 5th Oct. The first Qld birds looking like migrants were 9 observed by Neville Capell on 9th Oct. The first Victorian record was of an unspecified number observed by an unspecified observer on Eremaea Lists at Alexandra 10’ cell on the same day as Nev saw his birds.

The first record from ACT was of 10 birds at Ainslie seen by Steve Holliday.

One or two birds were seen on Cocos Islands (WA), on at least six days in December by David James, Frank O’Connor, Mike Carter and Jennifer Spry.

There were no reported records from the NT this last season. There were 2 records from SA, 15 from ACT, 23 from TAS, 169 from Qld, 189 from Vic, & 581 from NSW.

This season the largest group seen was of 2,000 birds recorded by Judith Lukin in NSW, and there were five sightings of a thousand or more birds. All were in NSW & seen by Richard & Margaret Alcorn, Craig Anderson, Greg Clancy, Margaret Pointer & Dezmond Wells. Geographically, sightings in Qld and Victoria were much more patchy this year than usual. There were 5 sightings of 300-1,000 birds, and unlike last year all were from NSW.

The average flock size this season was 44 compared to 48 for last year. Both figures are lower than the mean of 52 for the last decade.

Ten of the last 14 sightings made in April were from Victoria or Tasmania. This year I made the last sighting I know of in Vic on 7th April, Bas Hensen made the last sighting in NSW on 9th Apr, whereas Stephen Walsh saw birds in Tas between these dates. The last sighting I know of in Australia was made by Caroline Macdonald in Tas on 12th April.

The top recorders for the season are Bas Hensen (51) and Irene Allan (74). Again both made all their sightings in NSW.

Thanks again to all those who have taken the trouble to send me your sightings.

Contributing Observers: # of observations given in brackets.
ACTON, Marleen(5), AIREY, Jackson(1), ALCORN, Richard & Margaret(2), ALEXANDER, Peter(6), ALLAN, Barbara(3), ALLAN, Irene(74), ALLAN, Robert(2), AMBROSE, Stephen(2), ANDERSON, Craig(1), ARMSTRONG, Chris (1), ATZENI, Michael(4), AXEN, Len & Jacquie(21), BAILEY, James(1), BARKER, Potta(1), BARTRAM, Kevin(1), BAWDEN, Tim(8), BAXTER, Richard (2), BECKER, Freddie(1), BECKER, Ron(6), BELL, Andrew(1), BENNETT, Mark(2), BENSON, Liz(1), BENSTEAD, Mary(2), BERGMARK, Joshua(2), BERTZELETOS, D(1), BIELEWICZ, Fay & Julian(1), BiILNER, Roger(1), BORTOLUSSI, Greg(2), BOYD, Glenn(1), BRANDWOOD, Keith(1), BROOKMAN, Penny(1), BROOKS, Paul(2), BROSIE Grant & Rob(6), BROWN, Ian & Jill (1), BRUCE, Niel(5), BULLAS, Tom(1), BURCHER, Paul(5), BURCKHARDT, Sam (1), BUTTERFIELD, Martin(2), CABURN, Jean(1), CAMERON, Margaret(3), CANTELLO, John(1), CAPELL, Nev.(1), CARPENTER, Carole(5), CARPENTER, John(1), CARTER, Mike(3), CLANCY, Greg(18), COATES, Mark(1), COCKERELL, John(2), COCUM, C.(1), COLEMAN, Dan(1), COLLETT, P&J(1), COOK, Bob(1), CRAWFORD, Alan(1), CURSON, Clive(2), DAVIDSON, Steven (8), DAVIES, Aaron(2), Dening Jil(2), Dick, Leslie(2), DIRGANTORO, Wulan & Tomsa(1), DOECKE, Michaela(1), DOLBY, Tim(1), DOUGALD, Frederick(1), DOUGHERTY, Robert & Stuart(4), DRISCOLL, Colin(10), DUFFY, Janine(1), EDMONDS, Adam(2), EDWARDS, Steven(1), Elanus(3), ENGEL, Deryk(12), ENGLAND, Jan(2), EWIN, Peter(4), EZZY, Len & Chris (1), FAULKNER, Tim(1), FEARN, J.(3), FISHER, Keith & Lindsay(1), FORD, Val. (3), FRASER, Ian.(1), FRAWLEY, Matthew(1), FULLER, Mark (2), GALLIENNE, Sandra(8), Gary(1), GILFEDDER, Mat & Cathy(10), GILLANDERS, Alan(4), GILMOUR, Phil(17), GOODYEAR, Gavin(3), GOTLEY, W&J,(1), GREEN, D&P(1), GREGORY, Chris(6), GREGORY, Phil(2), GREINER, Samantha(1), GUPPY, M&S(10), HAAS, Nikolas(1), HADDEN, Don,(1), HEALEY, Chris(7), HEFFERNAN, R.(2), Helen(2), HEMPSTEAD, Janice(1), HENSEN, Bastiaan(51), HERBERT, Liz & Chris(2), HERRINGTON, Doug(5), HEYWOOD, Jan(1), HOLLIDAY, Steve(1), HOLMES, Tim(3), HOOK, Clint(1), HORLER, Peter(4), HOUGHTON, J&J(2), HUNT, Greg(1), HUTCHISON, John (2), JACKETT, Carla(4), JACOBSON, Paul(4), JAMES, David(2), JENKIN, Dick(2), JENSEN, Andy(1), JOHNSON, Lorne(2), Johnstone, Richard(5), JONES, Barbara(6), JONES, David(4), Jude (8), KATON, Anthony(2), KAY, D&H(2), KERR, Ian(1), KING, Des(1), KNIGHT, Laurie(3), KOOISTRA, John (3), KOSKELA, J(1), KRIPPNER, David(2), KUHL, Mike(4), LAMB, Russell (3), LAMBERT, D&G(1), LAMOUR, Kim & Jeff(1), LAYTON, John K.(1), LEONARD, John (3), LESEBERG, Nick(1), LEY, Andrew(16), LEY, Mark(3), LINDSAY, Kurtis(1), LINKLATTER, Bernard(1), LUCK, Darryl(1), LUKIN, Judith(3), LUMNITZER, Akos(17), MacDONALD, Caroline(1), MACKAY, R. (1), MAHER, Phillip(1), MANNIX, Stephen(1), MANTLE, Dan(1), Maria(5), MARKEY, Max(1), MASON, Lee(1), MASTERS, Gavin & Chicksen(2), MAY, Ian (1), McBRIDE, Alan(7), McBRIDE, Steve(1), McCONNWLL, Pat(3), McLENNAN, John(2), MEADOWS, Clive(21), MERRIGAN, Peter(1), MERRIGAN, Rosalie(5), MILLER, Richard(8), MOFFATT, Bob(5), MONTGOMERY, N(1), MOORHEAD, BILL & Jack(8), MORGAN, Julie(6), MORRIS, Alan(10), MORRIS, Tim(1), MULVOGUE, Colin(9), MURRAY, Steve(4), MUSTO, Barbara(1), MUTTON, Troy,(1), NORRIS, Ken(13), O’CONNOR, Frank(2), OSBORNE, Paul (11), PAGON, Joy(1), PARKIN, Kay(1), PERLINSKI, Alex(3), PETERS, Kristy(1), POINTER, Kaye(12), POINTER, Margaret(14), PORT, Christina (1), POTTER, Martin & Penny(1), PRESTON, Ivor(6), PROBETS, Carol(6), RAMSEY, Michael(14), RAMSEY, Matt(1), RANSOM, H.(1), RASMUSSEN, Anne & Bruce(2), RAWSTHORNE, John(1), REED, J(3), REID, Colin(11), RENSHAW, Diane(1), ROBERTS, P.(2), RODERICK, Mick(13), ROMANE, S.(1), ROPER, Marion(2), ROSS, Sonja(1), RUSER, Nathan(1), RUSK, Bob(1), RYAN, Rebecca(2), SAGAR, J(2), SANDERSON, Chris(1), SARNA, Julie(4), SCHRADER, Neville(1), SCOBIE, Michael(1), SCOULER, Colin(1), SEMMENS, Bob(6), SETTLE, Peter(3), SHERRING, Ken(2), SIMKUS, E(5), SKELTON, S (2), SMITH, Dennis(1), SMITH, Ross(6), SPILLANE, Nicole(4), SPRY, Jennifer(1), STAPLETON, Rosemary(1), STARR, Simon(3), STUART, Alan (3), SUTCLIFFE, M(3), TALBOT, Nicholas(1), TARBURTON, Michael(26), THELANDER, Andrew(3), THOMPSON, Warren(1), TUNEY, Brian(2), VELLA, Edwin(3), VINICOMBE, Matthew(2), WALBRIDGE, Paul(2), WALDON, D(1), WALSH, Stephen(18), WEEKS, Matt(3), WELLS, Dez(3), WHITER, J(1), WILK, Kathy(4), WILLIAMS Dan(2), WILSON, Denis(4), WILSON, Tom(20), WOODING, Lois(7), XIMENES, Arwen(1), ZWANKHUIZEN, Mairitis(1).

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Michael Tarburton

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