no WTNT’s yet but lots of FTS!!

hi Mike & everyone else… i’m yet to record any WTNT’s this season on the Cairns lowlands, however the Fork-tailed’s are here in BIG numbers atm… on Sat 21/02 in late morning in clear skies (before the late afternoon storm build-up), I had over 2000 Forkies hawking at treetop height & higher over a 2km wide area near Smithfield north of Cairns… I didn’t travel any wider than that at the time so there could have been more further afield too.. last evening (Sund 5:30-6;30pm) at home, beachfront at Trinity Beach (also north of Cairns), there was another big flock of Forkies whizzing by & very low down too getting at the flying ants – they were flying past me pretty close to my balcony & at a very low altitude just below me (palm tree height & just above) & out over the beach & water across the rd just 40mtrs from my balcony!!! (I have a very unfortunate place to live hehehe!!!)… there would have been at least 150 Forkies, & quite likely more further along the coast at that time too – not that I was going anywhere else, it was quite exciting having them at that height for a change!! there was quite a build-up of pre-storm activity with a bit of distant lightning & thunder but no rain fell here on Sund (or Sat evening for that matter). (on both occasions there were plenty of local swiftlets amongst them too, but in far lower numbers each time – prob 100 on Sat, & about 20 or so on Sund…but no needletails seen here yet!!!). cheers, martin cachard, cairns