It's all about the birds
The following is a digest of Sightings Reported on Birdpedia for the period Monday, April 24, 2023 to Sunday, April 30, 2023:
Area: SA
Location: On our Rockleigh property
Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata) (9) Now we have a bird bath that is usually kept full we often have 3 diamond firetails having a drink. This time there were 7 sitting in a row on a thin branchlet over the water, and another 2 nearby.
Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) (2) I have only ever seen 1 rainbow lorikeet on our place, maybe 12 years ago, and was thinking I misidentified or imagined it ! This time 2 flew over, with bright orange breasts, then we saw a group of 4 flying some distance away but these could have been musk (which we have never seen), then 2 rainbows flew over again.
Australian Owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) (1) Another rare sighting, only seen a few times in 15 years. While it was sitting on a thick branch on a dead tree, right in the open, a grey shrike thrush decided it wanted to sit in exactly the same place and got very close. (You don’t normally see grey shrike thrushes in the open) The owlet nightjar promptly disappeared into a small hole in the branch. Now we know where to look every time we walk that way
Reported by: Barbara and Peter Bansemer on Tuesday, April 25, 2023
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I expect we are all aware of the solar eclipse today. Are there any bird people at Exmouth today to see it?
As it happens, my first significant contribution to published bird study was my article: (1982) ‘A record of avian and other responses to the total solar eclipse – 23 October 1976’, Australian Bird Watcher 9: 179–209. (As far as I know, this is still the world’s biggest analysis of animal behaviour to a solar eclipse.) About the event today (as in the totality impact on Australia) extent only just touches on the far west of WA. The partial eclipse will be visible over the whole of Australia. For most of us in the south east, it will not be noticeable without particularly trying, as only a very limited partial eclipse. To notice it there, you would need to use a pinhole camera technique. Birds will not notice it or be impacted in any way in the small partial areas. But in areas included in totality they certainly do notice!
Philip Veerman
G’day folks
The glorious autumn blue sky weather has finally arrived in SEQ. My son and i took advantage of the perfect bushwalking weather to do the Cordeaux section of the Cunningham’s Gap horseshoe.
Vegetative thickening following the fires of 2019 and several years of good rain meant that it was slow going up to and along the crest of ridge approaching Cordeaux from the west. A Grey Goshawk graced us with its presence as it sailed low overhead, calling as it floated past. It is easy to forget how pale the grey is on these chaps.
We moved on through an ecotone I have been visiting since 2000, notable for a population of multi-stemmed Cyathea Australis. You can view a study of these ferns in a 2012 edition of the Pteridologist 5(5) pp 336-339 in ebps.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Pteridologist-V5-P5R.pdf. It takes a bit more effort to relocate some of the individuals nowadays.
We made our way through the rainforest to the graded track and headed north to our lunch spot on Bare Rock. It was nice to see that the leptospermums wiped out by the 2019 fire had returned. We came across a female Alberts Lyrebird on the track (sprung at a distance of 2 metres) that surprisingly didn’t scarper. It made me wonder if there was a chick near by.
There was a strong westerly wind blowing and at 12.20 pm, we had a dozen or so White-throated Needletails pass through at eye level. They were close enough to see their white rumps unaided. They weren’t feeding but were consistently gliding north. I don’t recall seeing any wing flaps during their transit.
It occurred to me that perhaps they had packed their primaries and had set sail for Japan.
It also raised another, possibly unanswerable question. Which species of bird has the capacity to glide the greatest horizontal distance between wing beats? Excluding birds riding thermals, how many kilometres can those species fly in approximately a straight line without wing beats?
(Do not try to answer this question if you are crossing the Bridge of Death in search of the Holy Grail.)
Regards, Laurie
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From: Kerry Levingston <kerrylevingston@gmail.com>
Date: 9 April 2023 at 9:58:29 am AEST
To: Andy-Mary Sides-McHugh <ammcsides@googlemail.com>
Cc: Christine Bassett <space.bassett@gmail.com>, Delia Walker <walker.delia@gmail.com>, nforford@bigpond.net.au, Jeff and Marie <jeffandmarie@dodo.com.au>, Robyn Wood <woodrc@bigpond.net.au>, Sue Foley <sue.foley.2018@gmail.com>, Richard McGuire <mcguirera3@outlook.com>, alan becker <beckeralno@yahoo.com.au>, Kelly Young <boomboxbuddies@yahoo.com.au>, brums <brums@bigpond.com.au>, Ross Gwyther <rgwyther@optusnet.com.au>, Alan Boardman <abo84951@bigpond.net.au>, dianneb46 <dianneb46@hotmail.com>, Helen King <palumaprint@gmail.com>, Jane Stein <janestein48@yahoo.com.au>, daphian <daphian@bigpond.com.au>, lloyd <lloydbird71@gmail.com>, sapent1 <sapent1@bigpond.com>, Wayne Bassett <crashitbassett@hotmail.com>, Jillian Robinson <jrobinson@hotmail.com.au>, Russell Woodford <rdwoodford@gmail.com>, Elizabeth Mackenzie <liza.mac23@gmail.com>, anymoore <juliemoore007@gmail.com>, scott pascoe <jmpascoe@powerup.com.au>, Marion Roper <meroper2000@yahoo.com>, Denise Downham <denisedownham@yahoo.com>, Burnice Starkey <burnicestarkey@hotmail.com>, PRCA <finance@prca.org.au>, kevin ross <dvakevin@bigpond.net.au>, ssworldtour <ssworldtour@hotmail.com>, Vince Bugeja <vince.merle@bigpond.com>, Claire Anderson <cle.anderson1337@gmail.com>, sharron krause <sharronkrause@gmail.com>, JudyHaines <jodoaus@hotmail.com>, John O’Shea <5646oshea@gmail.com>, Aurelia Noran <manager@prca.org.au>, margaretbaker <margaretbaker@live.com.au>, Jack Whiting <jackandmaggie@hotmail.com>, cjeannew <celiawinter31@gmail.com>, Sue Lee <rodandsuelee@gmail.com>, Julie & Jerzy Sarna <jjsarna@gmail.com>, Craig Gibson <gibson@bigpond.net.au>, John Armstrong <jalegweak@yahoo.com.au>, Mel Stewart <melstewart27@bigpond.com>, Stephen Barker <s.barker0612@gmail.com>, Rick Webb <r.webb@uq.edu.au>, Bob Crudgington <bob@mmlearning.com.au>, nwilson <nwilson@bigpond.net.au>, goblin <goblin@powerup.com.au>, ann hewson <ann.hewsonengert@gmail.com>, smith_robyn <smith_robyn@bigpond.com>, Kylie Facey <kyliefacey@ymail.com>, david stewart <davidstewart@naturesound.com.au>, abetongia <abetongia@hotmail.com>, Mark Taranawski <tarnawsk@optusnet.com.au>, Marie Tarrant <sittella@gmail.com>, Jean & Peter Wortley <jewortley@gmail.com>, Rita Larsen <larsenrita@hotmail.com>, peter_storer <peter_storer@hotmail.com>, Catherine Hirsch <catherinehirsch34@gmail.com>, Campbell Paine <cwpaine@hotmail.com>, mpr91097 <mpr91097@bigpond.net.au>, Detlef Davies <detlefdavies73@gmail.com>, vanderleijannette@gmail.com, 47hotass@gmail.com, Karen Blake <karenblake65@gmail.com>, Marilyn Virag <marilyn.virag@gmail.com>, Andrew-Mary Sides-McHugh <ammcsides@gmail.com>, grdiggles <grdiggles@bigpond.com>, joanneswain <joanneswain@hotmail.com>, Terry and Audrey Burgess <terry_burgess@bigpond.com>, Wendy Wilesmith <pitta@bigpond.net.au>, levangeline <l.evangeline@gmail.com>
Subject: Flyways – Movie Night at Wynnum
Hello birders,This promises to be a greet night out – a world premiere and introduction of a movie about migratory birds.I will be there!!CheersKerry
On 4 Apr 2023, at 10:51 am, Andrew-Mary Sides-McHugh <ammcsides@googlemail.com> wrote:
Hi fellow Birdos,Our next survey is on Wednesday the 12th April. As it is the school holidays and parking will be at a premium we will stick with a start time of 7am. I am sure you have all heard of the sightings of the Red Capped Robins? Hopefully they will still be there to add to our survey list.RegardsAndy
This is one (or two) species that I had never heard of before, not that there aren’t thousands of others. Noting that it connects to a species that is a vagrant in Australia…….. Forwarded in case some Australian birders might be interested. Note that dates and times of this session are in time zone for western United States.
Philip
Dear Birders,
You are invited to the next LA Birders webinar:
Identification of Ainley’s Storm-Petrel Hydrobates cheimomnestes
with Dessi Sieburth
Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00 PM – on YouTube
Once considered a single species, the Leach’s Storm-Petrel was split into three species in 2016: Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Townsend’s Storm-Petrel, and Ainley’s Storm-Petrel. Although Townsend’s Storm-Petrel can be identified in the field, very little is known about how to identify an Ainley’s Storm-Petrel. They differ from Leach’s Storm-Petrels in only two regards—their vocalizations and the fact that they breed in the winter.
Storm-Petrels spend nearly all of their time on the ocean hundreds of miles offshore, visiting land only a couple months out the year to breed. Therefore, birders are mostly likely to encounter Storm-Petrels on the ocean, where their vocalizations and time of breeding are useless for identification.
Is it possible to identify an Ainley’s Storm-Petrel at sea? The answer may lie in their time of breeding. Birds generally replace their feathers at a time of year opposite to breeding. Because Ainley’s Storm-Petrels breed in the winter, and Leach’s Storm-Petrels breed in the summer, it can be inferred that Ainley’s Storm-Petrel would replace their feathers at opposite times of year, too. This field mark could potentially be useful for identification of Ainley’s Storm-Petrel at sea.
Dessi examined Storm-Petrel specimens to see if he could find any specimens replacing feathers at an atypical time.
Join Dessi as he discusses identification of Ainley’s Storm-Petrel.
This webinar will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel and will also be recorded for later viewing.
Become a LAB Member! Though our webinars will always remain free and available to all, members of Los Angeles Birders have access to live webinars via Zoom, invitations to special LAB-only field trips, priority sign-up on LAB field trips & events, and discounts on paid LAB programs. To learn more about membership, please see our website!
Good birding,
Rebecca Marschall for Los Angeles Birders
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Rebecca Fenning Marschall
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G’day Folks
I am planning to spend a week on Upolu.
Are there any birding guides/apps that cover Samoa?
Do people have any recommendations regarding good birding locations and accommodation on the island?
Regards, Laurie
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