Month: December 2021

Are Green Rosellas more likely to be right-footed?

Seasons greetings folks,

At the start of November my son and I made a late decision to spend two weeks in Tassie as an alternative to schoolies on the Gold Coast.

This timing hit the sweet spot when Tasmania was clear of Covid and closed to NSW and Victoria, so it was easy to get a reasonably priced hire car (they can be very expensive there) and get into choice accomodation. For example, we had a choice of cabins at Waldheim (in the park at Cradle Mt). Normally these are booked solid 6 months in advance.

We were also lucky with the weather, experiencing very little rain, outside of some thunderstorms that caused flash flooding in Hobart. Indeed we were caught out by the fine weather with Matt copping sunburn on the day we climbed Barn Bluff and Cradle Mt.

Due to roadworks in the park, there were no shuttle busses operating after 3:30 pm, so it was very tranquil around Dove Lake late in the afternoon. In the absence of wind, the silence was mostly broken by honeyeaters. The wombats and pademelons were of course on mute.

Overall the midlands seemed a bit greener than normal for the time of year, there was still a fair bit of snow on the high country around the Cradle cirque and Mt Field, and the flowers were coming on nicely. Indeed, it was nice to get snow and flowers in the same photo.

Anyhow, we were having an alfresco lunch at the restaurant at the Lake Pedder Lodge (prior to a jaunt up Mt Sprent) when we were joined at our table by a Green Rosella. The interesting thing about this individual was that it was eating a potato chip held in its right foot.

I had been under the impression that parrots were predominantly left footed, but a bit of research found that a study of 16 species of Australian parrots published in Royal Society Biology Letters found that 47% were left footers and 33% were right footers. My observations of cockatoos has been that they are overwhelmingly left footers, so I was wondering if rosellas are more likely to be right footers?

Is anyone knowledgeable in this area?

Regards, Laurie

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Fwd: February 2022 birdwatching access renewal (WTP, Victoria)

I received the 

Western Treatment Plant access permit renewal email below a few days ago. Not sure if everyone's permit expires the same day. Of note is the fact that they're no longer splitting it into Special and General access areas. All keys are eventually going to open the gates in both areas.

Peter Shute

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Naire Balla <naire.balla@melbournewater.com.au>
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2021 at 18:28
Subject: Re: February 2022 birdwatching access renewal
To: Naire Balla <naire.balla@melbournewater.com.au>

Good Afternoon,

 

We are in the process of merging the Special and General access area’s into the
ONE birdwatching route. As a birdwatching area access holder and in preparedness of the merging of both areas you are required to complete our new online induction. We have included the induction as part of the online renewal process.

 

Please be advised that you are receiving this renewal notice as your birdwatching access expires in February 2022.
To renew your access please use the following link;

 

https://apply.melbournewater.com.au/forms/online.html?ApplicationType=BRDW

 

[Please complete the online safety module that will appear during your online renewal]

 

It is important that you keep
up to date with current birdwatching information at Melbourne Water, including urgent and emergency messages, therefore
it is a requirement that you sign up to our information portal YOURSAY

https://yoursay.melbournewater.com.au/

 

Please note:

 

·      
Your new two year renewal period will begin from your current permit expiry date in February 2022 plus an additional six months due to the past covid-19 closures.

 

·      
We no longer issue permit cards. You will receive an email with a copy of your renewal and receipt for your records.

 

·      
There
is no need to purchase a special access key as both the special and general access keys will be able to open all locks on site once we merge both areas. You will be notified via email once both routes have been merged.

 

Your co-operation with implementing the improvements to the
birdwatching access at the Western Treatment Plant is much appreciated.  If you have any enquiries regarding this email please let me know.

Many thanks,

 

 

 

Naire Balla | WTP Administration – Liveability and Systems Integration, Western Treatment Plant  |  Melbourne Water
|  PO Box 4342 Melbourne VIC 3001  |
 melbournewater.com.au

 

cid:<a href=image007.jpg@01D63506.AC04A5F0″>
We acknowledge the Victorian Traditional Owners and their Elders past and present as the original custodians of Victoria’s land and waters and I pay my respects to
their Elders past and present and to the ongoing living culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

 

Enhancing Life and Liveability.

 

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If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender by return email, delete it from your system and destroy any copies.

The South Australian Draft Pastoral Bill

The objectives of the South Australian Draft Pastoral Bill, are in my view, no different from deforesting a rainforest… probable destruction of a environment that won’t ever recover all for the benefit of a few…


… when are Governments going to take their stewardship of our already degraded environment responsibly by showing some foresight. While the Government is promoting a “Green Adelaide” the rest of the state is going to hell in a hand basket. Little do they realise that promoting the desertification of the South Australian rangelands by allowing this draft bill to proceed will eventually severely impact Adelaide with increased severity of extreme hot weather events and choking dust storms, regardless of their city-centric mentality…


Chris Shaw
seashore@internode.on.net
+61 409 675912

www.ararelitus.com

After the game, the King and the Pawn go into the same box.  – Italian proverb 


From Birding-Aus

‘Endothermic vertebrates tend to be represented by larger forms in the colder parts of their range than in the warmer parts’.


I was thinking about this when consulting Schodde’s Directory of Australian Passerines recently. There is much discussion under Australian Magpie as to whether white backs and black backs define subspecies, but Schodde doesn’t comment on the fact, which he reports, that Tasmanian Magpies are smaller than mainland forms contra Bergmann’s rule.

Similarly he notes that the two subspecies of the Eastern Yellow Robin vary by Bergmann’s rule within each population, but doesn’t comment on the fact that the northern spp is larger than the southern.

Shouldn’t both Magpie and E Yellow Robin be split on account of this?

John L

—

John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net

Make nature great again.

Eungella Honeyeater

We managed to travel yesterday from Canberra to Qld (between delta and omicron) and are at Eungella currently.

I went up to to the Chelmans Rd site (via Dalrymple Road) this morning and found one Eungella Honeyeater feeding in a tree just behind the gate at the end of the road. I also saw one in a tree along Dalrymple Road on the way back. 
Later I visited Diggers Road, but there weren’t any EHs there (Lewin’s instead).
Great to catch up with old rainforest friends from Qld again. We’re staying at Mountain Edge Escape cabins (highly recommended) and just sitting on the balcony I’m adding to the trip spp list: a Superb Fruitdove just flew by and after that a pair of Grey Goshawks. The Pied Currawongs here are comically small compared to southern birds.
Cheers and best wishes for postcovid birding.
John L

—

John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net

Make nature great again.

Sign of life

Sign of Life

Several subscribers have kindly emailed me to hear if I am well, since I have not sent anything to the bird lists for a long time, where earlier I was a somewhat regular contributor. Therefore this sign of life: fortunately I am relatively well, even though at 84 various problems cannot be avoided, deafness being the most frustrating. The reason I have been silent is that I feel I have virtually nothing to add to my earlier contributions. My action radius has been quite small in 2021, partly because of decreasing mobility, but mainly because of the restrictions caused by the covid pandemic, just now once again very much in the ascendence here in Norway, where we hitherto have escaped comparatively lightly, in part no doubt because of the many regulations.

Tromsø is now in the ‘mørketiden’, the dark period, without any visible sunlight, and just a short period of twilight in the middle of the day. We have had three periods with 20-40 cm snow already, but they have all been followed by Atlantic depressions, high winds and abundant rainfall (though we have escaped the damaging amounts of rain, that caused much damage in S. and W. Norway recently.). This varying weather also causes very slippery roads and paths often, so we need to walk carefully with ‘brodder’ under our shoe-soles most of the time. My walks to the museum, where I still occupy a desk and work on ‘my’ amphipods, to the shops, and to the places of vaccination, show how few birds there really are here in winter, when you don’t get to the shore. On a half hour’s walk I counted 7 species of birds: the ubiquitous and very common Magpies, the also always present Hooded Crows, a few Great Tits and Greenfinches,  in one garden a flock of House Sparrows, the odd Herring Gull  and Great Black-backed Gull overhead, and on 2 occasions a straggling flock of Fieldfares in the air. These are still here, because this year we had a bumper crop of Rowan (Mountain Ash) berries; even so, there are fewer than I had expected in such a rich berry year, and I have as yet not seen any Bohemian Waxwings, let alone Pine Grosbeaks, both also very fond of these berries.

In my garden I feed the birds, or at least try to, but there are very few takers, just the odd Great Tit or Greenfinch. Curiously, on 2 Saturdays there were more customers: Flocks of up to 15 Greenfinches and 10 Great Tits, with also a sole Blue Tit, a newcomer here in the north. One day there were also a few House Sparrows: there is a colony a few houses down the road, but they are normally extremely sedentary, and I see them but rarely. Flocks of Fieldfares landed in my alder tree, and there was at least one Redwing among them; they are of course not interested in sunflower seeds. The following Sundays there were no birds at the feeders at all, making me wonder if they were of some very conservative faith.

When I go to the shore of the sounds surrounding our island of Tromsøya, there will be more large gulls, and always flocks of Common Eiders. If you wait a while, Great Cormorants are sure to fly past; these are common here in winter, but leave to nest elsewhere. There will probably also be other sea ducks around: Red-throated Mergansers, scoters and maybe Long-tailed Ducks, but there is so little daylight, that it usually is impossible to identify far away birds. When you are lucky, which I have not been this last month, you may get eyes on a flying  White-tailed Eagle, or hear the cozy conversation of a pair of Northern Ravens.

The sun will be back (for 2 minutes, if the weather is agreeable) on 21 January, Soldagen, the day of the Sun, which is much celebrated here. Before that we will have Christmas and New Year, this year once more greatly curtailed because of the pandemic. My Dutch partner will be unable to come to Tromsø, but all 3 children and families will be here. Christmas is THE great family feast in Norway.

I wish you all a God Jul (merry Christmas) and a new year full of birds.

Wim Vader, Tromsø, Norway

PS My home email is now wjm.vader@gmail.com

A Wagtail

I’d appreciate some advice on this – we had a Wagtail sitting on her nest which is fairly near a shed. We have of course left it alone, but there has been the odd movement around the shed. The nest is now deserted and has been for a couple of days so I have checked it. It has one very cold egg in it. I can still hear a Wagtail regularly nearby. My question is should I take the egg out or just let nature take its course.
Robin Irwin

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Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 98, Issue 3

Buttonquail.

Sent from my iPhone

> On 11 Dec 2021, at 4:00 am, birding-aus-request@birding-aus.org wrote:
>
> Send Birding-Aus mailing list submissions to
> birding-aus@birding-aus.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body ‘help’ to
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>
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> birding-aus-owner@birding-aus.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than “Re: Contents of Birding-Aus digest…”
>
>
> Today’s Topics:
>
> 1. Curious Como bird (paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au)
> 2. Re: Curious Como bird (Maris Lauva)
> 3. Re: Curious Como bird (Maris Lauva)
> 4. Re: Curious Como bird (Maris Lauva)
> 5. Re: Curious Como bird (Alan Gillanders)
>
>
> ———————————————————————-
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2021 07:45:16 +1100
> From: < paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au>
> To: < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
> Message-ID: < 038e01d7ed3d$aca213d0$05e63b70$@optusnet.com.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii”
>
> Hi all,
>
> Would love your thoughts on a curios occurrence from last Sunday evening.
>
> I live in Como, suburban southern Sydney (34S, 151E) and was walking home
> after a few Christmas drinks with friends near the junction of the Georges
> and Woronora River.
>
> It was after 8pm and also after a few glasses of a full-bodied red, but I’m
> sure this all happened!
>
>
>
> I saw a small creature scuttle quickly off the roadway and onto the footpath
> about 2-3m directly in front of me.
>
> Initially, I thought it was a rat, but it stopped right in front of me and
> in the gloom I got the impression of a small bird: squat and plump and very
> low to the ground i.e. short legs, not visible to me.
>
> I stared for a second trying to work it out, then it ran back onto the
> roadway, with impressive speed and acceleration, and paused there for a few
> more seconds.
>
> It then took to the air, almost vertically, in a direct flight at pretty
> high speed and disappeared in the darkness.
>
>
>
> I know it sounds implausible but the only thing I can think of is a quail.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Paul.
>
>
>
> ————– next part ————–
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed…
> URL:
>
> ——————————
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2021 22:20:33 +0000
> From: Maris Lauva < latvian_maris@hotmail.com>
> To: “paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au” < paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au>,
> “birding-aus@birding-aus.org” < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
> Message-ID:
> < PU4P216MB156561F864808419E08EC79B9D709@PU4P216MB1565.KORP216.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”windows-1252″
>
> Unless you overdid the Xmas drinks, you’ve probably seen a Quail
>
> ________________________________
> From: Birding-Aus < birding-aus-bounces@birding-aus.org> on behalf of paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au < paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au>
> Sent: Friday, 10 December 2021 4:45 AM
> To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> Would love your thoughts on a curios occurrence from last Sunday evening.
>
> I live in Como, suburban southern Sydney (34S, 151E) and was walking home after a few Christmas drinks with friends near the junction of the Georges and Woronora River.
>
> It was after 8pm and also after a few glasses of a full-bodied red, but I?m sure this all happened!
>
>
>
> I saw a small creature scuttle quickly off the roadway and onto the footpath about 2-3m directly in front of me.
>
> Initially, I thought it was a rat, but it stopped right in front of me and in the gloom I got the impression of a small bird: squat and plump and very low to the ground i.e. short legs, not visible to me.
>
> I stared for a second trying to work it out, then it ran back onto the roadway, with impressive speed and acceleration, and paused there for a few more seconds.
>
> It then took to the air, almost vertically, in a direct flight at pretty high speed and disappeared in the darkness.
>
>
>
> I know it sounds implausible but the only thing I can think of is a quail.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Paul.
>
>
> ————– next part ————–
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed…
> URL:
>
> ——————————
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2021 22:20:51 +0000
> From: Maris Lauva < latvian_maris@hotmail.com>
> To: “paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au” < paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au>,
> “birding-aus@birding-aus.org” < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
> Message-ID:
> < PU4P216MB156521F54421A3D677C1A1329D709@PU4P216MB1565.KORP216.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”windows-1252″
>
> Unless you overdid the Xmas drinks, you’ve probably seen a Quail
>
> ________________________________
> From: Birding-Aus < birding-aus-bounces@birding-aus.org> on behalf of paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au < paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au>
> Sent: Friday, 10 December 2021 4:45 AM
> To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> Would love your thoughts on a curios occurrence from last Sunday evening.
>
> I live in Como, suburban southern Sydney (34S, 151E) and was walking home after a few Christmas drinks with friends near the junction of the Georges and Woronora River.
>
> It was after 8pm and also after a few glasses of a full-bodied red, but I?m sure this all happened!
>
>
>
> I saw a small creature scuttle quickly off the roadway and onto the footpath about 2-3m directly in front of me.
>
> Initially, I thought it was a rat, but it stopped right in front of me and in the gloom I got the impression of a small bird: squat and plump and very low to the ground i.e. short legs, not visible to me.
>
> I stared for a second trying to work it out, then it ran back onto the roadway, with impressive speed and acceleration, and paused there for a few more seconds.
>
> It then took to the air, almost vertically, in a direct flight at pretty high speed and disappeared in the darkness.
>
>
>
> I know it sounds implausible but the only thing I can think of is a quail.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Paul.
>
>
> ————– next part ————–
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed…
> URL:
>
> ——————————
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2021 22:21:30 +0000
> From: Maris Lauva < latvian_maris@hotmail.com>
> To: “paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au” < paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au>,
> “birding-aus@birding-aus.org” < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
> Message-ID:
> < PU4P216MB1565F2899476294B597E58EE9D709@PU4P216MB1565.KORP216.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”windows-1252″
>
> Unless you overdid the Xmas drinks, you’ve probably seen a Quail
>
> ________________________________
> From: Birding-Aus < birding-aus-bounces@birding-aus.org> on behalf of paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au < paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au>
> Sent: Friday, 10 December 2021 4:45 AM
> To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> Would love your thoughts on a curios occurrence from last Sunday evening.
>
> I live in Como, suburban southern Sydney (34S, 151E) and was walking home after a few Christmas drinks with friends near the junction of the Georges and Woronora River.
>
> It was after 8pm and also after a few glasses of a full-bodied red, but I?m sure this all happened!
>
>
>
> I saw a small creature scuttle quickly off the roadway and onto the footpath about 2-3m directly in front of me.
>
> Initially, I thought it was a rat, but it stopped right in front of me and in the gloom I got the impression of a small bird: squat and plump and very low to the ground i.e. short legs, not visible to me.
>
> I stared for a second trying to work it out, then it ran back onto the roadway, with impressive speed and acceleration, and paused there for a few more seconds.
>
> It then took to the air, almost vertically, in a direct flight at pretty high speed and disappeared in the darkness.
>
>
>
> I know it sounds implausible but the only thing I can think of is a quail.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Paul.
>
>
> ————– next part ————–
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed…
> URL:
>
> ——————————
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2021 12:35:32 +1000
> From: Alan Gillanders < alan@alanswildlifetours.com.au>
> To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Curious Como bird
> Message-ID:
> < a928aeef-164f-4aa3-805e-a66ecf9666f9@alanswildlifetours.com.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″; Format=”flowed”
>
> G’day Paul,
>
> I’d be guessing Buttonquail as they like to sit on exposed places like
> roads. However they usually go to sleep and a not so easily disturbed.
>
> Regards,
>
> Alan
>
> Alan’s Wildlife Tours
> 2 Mather Road
> Yungaburra 4884
>
> Phone 07 4095 3784
> Mobile 0408 953 786
> www.alanswildlifetours.com.au
>
>> On 10/12/2021 6:45 am, paulodoyle@optusnet.com.au wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Would love your thoughts on a curios occurrence from last Sunday evening.
>>
>> I live in Como, suburban southern Sydney (34S, 151E) and was walking
>> home after a few Christmas drinks with friends near the junction of
>> the Georges and Woronora River.
>>
>> It was after 8pm and also after a few glasses of a full-bodied red,
>> but I?m sure this all happened!
>>
>> I saw a small creature scuttle quickly off the roadway and onto the
>> footpath about 2-3m directly in front of me.
>>
>> Initially, I thought it was a rat, but it stopped right in front of me
>> and in the gloom I got the impression of a small bird: squat and plump
>> and very low to the ground i.e. short legs, not visible to me.
>>
>> I stared for a second trying to work it out, then it ran back onto the
>> roadway, with impressive speed and acceleration, and paused there for
>> a few more seconds.
>>
>> It then took to the air, almost vertically, in a direct flight at
>> pretty high speed and disappeared in the darkness.
>>
>> I know it sounds implausible but the only thing I can think of is a quail.
>>
>> Any thoughts?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Paul.
>>
>>
>>

>>
Birding-Aus mailing list
>>
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org
>>
To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>>
birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>>
> ————– next part ————–
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed…
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>
> ——————————
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
> _______________________________________________
> Birding-Aus mailing list
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>
> End of Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 98, Issue 3
> ******************************************

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Interview about Habitats of the world filed guide.

Hi everyone,
I have a new field guide to habitats of the world, which will hit Australia in January. There have been a few webinars and talks on sites like the Smithsoinian, but this is a conversation with an American nature journalist and tour guide, Christine Elder. Tuesday 9am QLD time. Check it out.


—

Iain Campbell
Tropical Birding Tours
www.tropicalbirding.com