Hi All,
I can beat that - the ground temperature out in the sun when I was observing
small passerines during extremely hot conditions at Hamelin Station, Shark
Bay in Western Australia (5th January 1983) was 63 deg C;
Reference:
Ambrose, S.J. (1984). The response of small birds to extreme heat. Emu 84:
242-243. http://www.publish.csiro.au/mu/pdf/MU9840242
Regards,
Stephen
Stephen Ambrose
Ryde NSW
-----Original Message-----
From: Birding-Aus On Behalf Of
Denise Goodfellow
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 11:05 AM
To: Chris Charles
Cc: birding-aus; Chris Lloyd
Subject: Hot birding down the Lachlan
Chris, thank you for a fascinating trip report.
On extreme temperatures and spouses: While surveying Gouldian Finches near
Victoria River, NT, in the early 1990s I spent hours lying on the bare
ground near eroded waterholes with little tree cover. It was hot. Once I
measured the ground temperature at 56oc. I would never have expected
anyone else to join me in such conditions, including my (male) field
assistants. I sent them off to watch the shadier water bodies.
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
PO Box 71
Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
043 8650 835
On 17 Jan 2017, at 8:38 am, Chris Charles <> wrote:
> A spouse that goes birding with you in 44 deg?
> You seem to have won the lottery of life Chris.
>
> Chris Charles
> +61412911184
>
> Licole Monopods
> http://www.licole.com.au <http://www.licole.com.au/>
>> On 15 Jan 2017, at 5:22 pm, Chris Lloyd <> wrote:
>>
>> Some months ago the idea of a week birding in western NSW seemed like
>> a good idea. A warm but pleasant amble down the Lachlan with the
>> caravan brought us to Forbes and three booked nights at the CP. Now
>> closer followers of ancient rituals and weather forecasts would
>> already have noted some red flags. We simply noted that the CP was
>> choka-block and moved straight to Gums Swamp. Nothing spectacular but
>> a good collection of old friends and, like all the countryside
>> around, plenty of water and greenery. Returning to the Park we found
>> an unusual number of men with large black sideburns and women
>> sporting some variation of the onesie with sequins. The penny dropped
>> when an otherwise perfectly competent string quartet moved from
>> Dublin to Memphis while rehearsing in the camp kitchen at the request
>> of the large impromptu audience. At this point it was 6pm and a bracing
36° with 38° for the following day.
>>
>>
>>
>> A day of retail therapy, the library and the hysterical society kept
>> our cool until an inevitable return to the van and afternoon of
>> recline in the air-con. It was not to be as the combined assault of
>> frig and AC compressors brought on a denial of service from the aging
>> circuitry of the Park. Tempers flared as much trousers as the system
tripped out every half an hour or so.
>> There were compensations. For those rooting for the King there was a
>> crooner at a battery power mike and for us the delight of warm beer
>> and wine while watching the aerobatics of four first year Collared
>> Sparrowhawks intent of playing tag with cockies while a brace of
>> White-faced Heron observed both phenomena.
>>
>>
>>
>> It was with a brave face that we informed Rhinestone cowboys and
>> girls that we were headed for the milder climes of Lake Cargelligo.
>> 39° in Condobolin made the bitumen toasty for the dog’s pads and a
>> hefty 20 knot north-westerly made clothes driers redundant. As we
>> motored along the Valley Way to LC the Bureau raised the bar for the
>> following day to 44° and we started to consider professional help.
>>
>>
>>
>> Then we struck the ephemeral lakes and flooded paddocks. Most of the
>> world’s population of Pacific Herons seemed to have descended and
>> around their legs wandered Black-winged stilts of all ages,
>> Red-necked Stints, coots, and plovers. Overhead in the wind were the
>> Marsh Terns in flocks of dozens while all three ibis species strutted
>> their stuff in the greasy water. There was nothing new, just
>> thousands of ‘good’ birds loafing or foraging as the whim took them.
>> There were stilts on to their third or fourth clutch while the
>> previous off-spring wandered around the sitting adults. Ducks and
>> grebes seemed to have endless trails of bobbing heads either behind
>> them or on their backs. A pair of Plumed-whistlers did not seem to
>> have lost one of their near grown brood to the Kites as they wove
>> through a forest of egret and spoonbill legs and bills. A quick dash
>> through the furnace blast to the water’s edge showed that, what
>> appeared a still surface from three metres away was a swirling stew of on
algae, insects, fish and crustaceans. It might be hot but nobody was going
starve.
>>
>>
>>
>> Friday lived up to everyone’s expectations and to the 44° nature
>> added a powerful north-westerly and thick black clouds to provide an
>> apocalyptic edge. Gallons of water and a little bit of German
>> refrigeration engineering kept two adults and a small spotted dog
>> from joining their respective makers as lunchtime hit the 40 mark and
>> climbing. But nothing stopped the birds. We peered in awe out the
>> windows as half a dozen Major Mitchells cartwheeled across the park
>> and Peewees and Pied Butcherbirds used the sprinklers to assist the
>> luncheon efforts. Two Butcherbirds carried out a full mating display
>> of neck pecks and vocals on the wing while their youngster watched
>> on. The White-Ibis, using their suburban experience wandered about
>> lawns and bins exuding an air of ‘nothing to see here’ as dog and
>> humans cringed under wet cotton. The one great saving grace of the
>> west in summer is the evenings and despite the mid-forties onslaught by
midnight you are reaching for the sheet and then the blanket.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dawn brought 30 degrees and a south-westerly that brought the ‘feel’
>> down to 25° but with a sun that had the bite of a White Pointer. So
>> it’s off for a day along the Lachlan and the lakes. Once again no new
>> birds but who needs new birds when thirteen adult Nankeen Herons rise
>> from a water race and disport themselves around the trees? Everywhere
>> water moved there were fishers dipping a bill in their favourite
>> hole. At the regulator there was a line of black and tans in their
>> yellow waders as the water rolled past. No one was missing out and
>> even the ill equipped ibis were making a catch. Just up river a human
>> family complained they had got little other than carp fingerlings.
>>
>>
>>
>> The locals were as awe inspiring as the birds as they maintained
>> their laconic bonhomie to melting birders and still mowed lawns,
>> welded pipe or served customers. Cargelligo again lives up to its
>> reputation as a hot spot to bird.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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