My best for Flat Rock, Ballina NSW, at the same time is only 6. Black &
Common Noddy, White-winged Black, Little, Common & Crested Tern.
But in recent years I've also seen Gull-billed, Whiskered, Sooty, Bridled, &
White-fronted at Flat Rock, plus Caspian in the river at Ballina, that makes
12.
I believe historically Arctic, Lesser Crested & Grey Ternlet have also been
recorded in Ballina.
I imagine Roseate & Black-naped would be likely vagrants & White & Fairy
Tern not out of the question for here as well.
Cheers,
Steve McBride
Ballina
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Mike Carter
Sent: Monday, 3 December 2012 5:31 PM
To: ; Frank O'Connor
Subject: Tern! Tern! Tern! (to misquote Pete Seeger)
Recently, Common, Black & Lesser Noddy, Bridled, Sooty, Little, Australian &
Asiatic Gull-billed, White-winged Black, Roseate, Common & Crested Tern were
seen in the same day at Ashmore Reef . In my book that's 12 species of tern!
At other times Lesser Crested & Whiskered Tern have been seen there.
Whilst talking of numbers of terns, yesterday, during a survey at Melbourne
Water's Eastern Treatment Plant near Carrum, Victoria, a compact flying
flock of Whiskered Terns was estimated by the each of the four counters to
contain 90, 105, 120 & 125 birds. A photograph revealed the actual number
was 192.
To avoid sending a second email I should add that other species in large
numbers on that Plant yesterday were >3,000 Coot, >2,300 Sharp-tailed
Sandpipers, >2,000 Grey Teal, >1,200 Pink-eared Ducks, 80 Freckled Ducks &
34 Glossy Ibis. I'm still collating the numbers! But only one Pectoral
Sandpiper (that we found)!
Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Tel (03) 9787 7136
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