G’day Swift watchers
I have recently asked why there are so few FTS swifts in WA, NT & SA this season. Well now we know why. A very large proportion of the population is, or should I say was near Townsville on 26 Jan. The observers could not find them the following day.
Don’t criticise them, as none of us since 1974 have seen more than 8,000 FTS in a flock!
Len & Chris Ezzy, Janet Robino, Peter Valentine, & John & Christine Stewart plus others have witnessed this huge flock, estimated to cover 50 sq km. They and others went looking for them the next day and found none. I saw 50 heading NE between Winton & Longreach on 21 Dec, so apparently they knew of the party that Townsville was going to throw.
Question now is – where have they gone.
BBC film crew also want to know, as they expect me to find 90-100,000 for them to film. They wont believe I cannot predict when or where these birds will be.
Have you seen them? If not please look out for them and let me know how many you see.
Thanks & Happy swift watching
Mike
=================== Prof Michael Tarburton tarburton.m@optusnet.com.au ===================
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Nothing like those numbers but this morning at a tree planting at Massey Creek east of Ravenshoe, Atherton Tablelands I observed a minimum of 60 WTNT, 550 FTSw and 150 unidentified swifts flying south over the period of just over and hour. Mostly they cam through in flocks of 10 to 40 with the largest flocks being about 60 birds. Nearly all the WTNT were in the first half hour of my observations as were the more distant flocks unidentified. One planter told me that the birds had been coming over from the north since he had arrived, an hour before I started noticing them.
The birds were heading south, skimming the ridge tops.
Near Whiting Road, Millaa Millaa, around midday I saw another 35 FTSW presumably feeding in a valley.
Regards, Alan
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