Hi all,
Here is north-east Victoria I have had quite a few records of birds usually seen in spring and summer overwintering. It seems to be an exceptional year for this. A few observers I know have also commented on how this year seems to be quite unusual with the number of species and individuals seen out of season in the winter months.
Has anyone else noticed a number of overwintering birds this year as well? One observer has suggested that the great conditions from earlier in the year due to above average rains has resulted in a bumper breeding season and conditions, so many of these summer migrants have stayed.
A few examples of overwintering birds I have had so far are:
Since the end of May:
10 records of Rufous Songlarks 1 record of a White-throated Gerygone 4 Sacred Kingfisher records 11 Rufous Whistler records (a few always seem to overwinter in the north-east but not this many records) 1 White-browed Woodswallow record 7 records of Olive-backed Orioles 6 records of Australian Reed-warblers 3 Spotted Harrier records some White-backed Swallows still around a few Fan-tailed and Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoos a few Dusky Woodswallows always tend to overwinter but I have seen flocks of 40+
Has anyone else had any other overwintering records so far this winter.
Cheers, Michael Ramsey www.bronzewingbirdingservices.com Twitter #Bronzewing01 facebook/bronzewingbirdingservices
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Comments
4 responses to “Overwintering birds..”
Michael,
Since June 2010, I have visited two local wetlands north of Griffith twice monthly keeping an eye on birds utilising the results of good rainfall runoff and environmental water since June 2010. Reed Warblers have been present at one of these wetlands during every count, and almost as regular at the other. Numbers built up during the spring/summer, but otherwise have typically been more than half a dozen each visit. Also of interest was an adult male Scarlet Robin and a juvenile observed at one of these swamps in February.
There are also a number of sites where Spotted Harriers are being seen with regularity, and I observed six during a drive south to Moama a few weeks back – a pair south of Coleambally, another pair on Wilson’s Road north of Jerilderie and an individual north of Deniliquin and one 10kms to the south.
On the plains, I have seen Brown Songlarks display flying and calling late into the night, but a few always over winter at certain spots.
Otherwise, I have also seen Rufous Songlark (Leeton), Sacred Kingfishers (Rocky Waterholes at Narrandera), and White-winged Trillers (north of Leeton). Flame Robins also seem to be in higher numbers than typical in the Red Gum forests of the Murrumbidgee so far this season
Cheers David Parker
There were certainly Reed Warblers singing along the Torrens in Adelaide in June.
Kevin Stracey
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Hi Michael,
Your observations are interesting as it appears that on the NSW North Coast the winter migrants are as common, if not more common , than usual. We have had an unprecedented number of Noisy Pitta and Satin Bowerbird records on the lowlands of the Clarence Valley, Crimson Rosellas at low altitude and Tasmanian race Grey Fantails and Golden Whistlers (based on tail-wing ratios during banding) being common. I would have thought that the cold winter would have sent most Victorian migrants northwards.
Greg Clancy Ecologist and wildlife guide Coutts Crossing NSW http://www.birdrangers.com
Michael, Up at Mildura this year I have had two Sacred Kingfishers at two different spots on the Murray River in June and I thought I had a Reed-warbler at the local drainage wetland (no binoculars and there were definitely Grasbirds but one looked unstreaked at a distance) in July. The White-browed Woodswallows were here very late (big flocks still in mid-May) so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is the odd bird about but the White-breasted Woodswallows seem to be well away. No Rufous Whistlers but I reckon they would still be about. 1 or 2 Rufous Songlarks usually over-winter at Weddin Mountains (SW slopes NSW)and there was one there in June (plus huge numbers of Orioles). Cheers, Peter
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================