Bird Report, 1982-1999 Graham Carpenter, Andrew Black
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NOVEMBER 2003 93 BIRD REPORT, 1982-1999 GRAHAM CARPENTER, ANDREW BLACK, DAVID HARPER and PHILIPPAHORTON INTRODUCTION added, particularly details of specimens donated to and held by the South Australian Museum. For the nineteen years from 1963 to 1981, · Further details of these specimens are available periodic Bird Reports were collated and published from the Museum. in theSouth Australian Ornithologist(Glover et Priority for inclusion goes to reliable and al. 1964; Glover 1965-1975;Cox 1976a; N. Reid verifiable reports of birds rarely recorded for the 1976; J. Reid 1980; Bransbury 1984; note that state or region, namely those of birds recorded references for this section of the report appear on near or beyond their previously recognised range pp. 96-98). With increasing observations it be limits, unusual numbers and unusual seasonal came more difficult to do justice to all records occurrences, and breeding records. Note also that submitted to the South Australian Ornithological additional details, such as ecological data and Association. John Bransbury (1984) undertook field notes, may be available from the quarterly the demanding task to cover the five years 1977- SAOA Newsletters that are referred to by number 1981, a particularly active period when many of edition, or from the author of the record as SAOA members were engaged in compiling indicated by surnameand initial. records for the first Australian Bird Atlas The SAOA Newsletter Bird Notes and Bird (Blakers, Davies and Reilly 1984). Records for the period were collated and vetted The Bird Reports provided readers with a by Brian Glover until March 1984, Graham summary of interesting records for the year, thus Carpenter to March 1995 and David Harper to encouraging further records to confirm, extend or March 1999(SAOA 1982-1994 and 1994-1999). otherwise expand the knowledge presented. Records for this Bird Report appear in the In 2001 the SAOA Executive Committee Annotated List. Although these records have been accepted a proposal to re-establish an annual Bird vetted, researchers are advised to check with the Report, and that report for 2000 is now published observers before citing. Readers are encouraged (Rogers 2002). It is now desirable to fill the gap to report significant omissions or corrections of from1982 to 1999. erroneous or doubtful records, and these may be All of the Bird Reports have been compiled published as addenda or corrigenda. from records submitted by SAOA members and other observers. The most interesting records CLIMATIC CONDITIONS selected for presentation in theSAOA Newsletter (SAOA 1982-1994 and 1994-1999) form the Over such a long period of observation there basis for this Bird Report. No attempt has been has been a corresponding large variation in made to achieve a comprehensive review of South seasonable conditions. The following summary is Australia's bird data, since most records submitt produced fromdata made available by the Bureau ed have been selective rather than inclusive. Bird of Meteorology(2002; also see Table). Reports will tend to ignore the common and After average or above average rainfall in 1981, familiar in favour of therare and unusual. This is 1982 was very dry in south-easternAustralia, with inevitable since studies of common birds can best record low recordings in parts of South Australia be carried out over long time periods, and require (SA) and Victoria. Rainfall was above average in a comprehensive approach to all observations. 1983 in south-easternAustralia as well a·s Central While Bird Reports cannot achieve this they can Australia, and in 1984 it was above average over much of the continent, but average in southernSA provide a basis for further study. In the present Report our approach has been to publish in a and Victoria. The year 1985 was average to dry, single document the records selected in the Bird and 1986 was average, but dry in northern and Notes, Bird Records and reports on past excurs western Australia. The year 1987 was below ions contained within the quarterly SAOA average, for example on Eyre Peninsula and in Newsletters of the period(SAOA 1982-1994 and the South-East, but with high rainfall in the Top 1994-1999). Complementary records have been End (Northern Territory) and Cooper Basin. In 94 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ORNITHOLOGIST, 34 Table. Summary of rainfall in South Australia and Australia, 1981-1999. Data obtained fromNational Rainfall Map Archives (Rainfall Deciles) (Bureau of Meteorology 2002). A = Average (rainfall in the range of the middle 40% of all recorded years); AA =Above Average (rainfall in the range of the highest 30% of all recorded years); BA =Below Average (rainfall in therange of the lowest 30% of all recorded years). Year Southern districts Inland Australia generally and comments 1981 A-AA AA AA in north of Aust. 1982 BA BA AA inN W A &NW SA; record dry in agricultural SA. 1983 AA BA AA inNullarbor Plain,NW of SA & eastern Aust.; BA in Top End & Cape York. 1984 A AA AA in all but S W A, southern SA & Vic. 1985 A-BA A-BA BA in W & Central Aust. 1986 A A BA in parts of W,N & E Aust. 1987 A-BA A BA in EP & SE; AA in Top End & Cooper Creek area. 1988 A-BA AA Very dry on EP; AA in Central Aust. &NSW. 1989 A AA AA in most of Vic., Qld, NSW, record high in parts of inland SA; BA in Murray Mallee. 1990 A BA AA on KI; BA in Murray Mallee &N Aust. 1991 A-BA BA AA inN Aust.; BA on EP. 1992 AA AA Record in most agricultural SA; very dry inN Aust. 1993 A A-AA AA in NT, NE SA, Vic. &NSW; BA in EP & SE. 1994 BA BA Record dry inland EP; BA in all Aust. 1995 A A-AA AA especiallyNullarbor Plain, W A,NE SA & eastern Aust. 1996 A A-BA Very dry in Central Aust. 1997 A-BA AA BA in SE SA, Vic., & NSW; AA inN Aust. 1998 A-BA AA BA in S, SE & northern Murray Mallee in SA; AA inN & W Aust. 1999 A-BA A-BA AA inN & W Aust.; BA in EP & SE. 1988 it was wet for inland SA and New South SA. Average falls in SA in 1996 were associated Wales (NSW), but very dry on Eyre Peninsula. In with extreme aridity in central Australia. The year 1989 the pastoral districts had exceptional rains, 1997 was wet in thewest and north of the country, resulting in the flooding of extensive areas of but dry in the State's South-East, Victoria and inland SA, but it was average in the south and NSW. In 1998 it was wet in the north (of the below average in the Murray Mallee. In 1990 it continent and SA), below average on Eyre Penin was below average to dry in northern Australia, sula and in the northern Murray Mallee and including inland SA and the Murray Mallee, and South-East. It was wet again in most of Austra:lia 1991 was another dry year inland and on Eyre in 1999, but below average in SA and Victoria. Peninsula, average elsewhere and the north of Australia was wet. In 1992 it was exceptionally DISCUSSION wet state-wide with the highest recorded falls in most agricultural districts, and in the marginal The period from 1982 to 1999 is marked by and pastoral districts rainfall was exceeded only in many substantial publications on the birds of the exceptional years of 1973, 1974 and 1989. South Australia. These include Part 2A of the Rainfall was above average on the Nullarbor Annotated checklist of the birds of South Plain, NorthernTerritory and north-easternSA in Australia covering waterfowl (Parker, Eckert and 1993, but below average on lower Eyre Peninsula Ragless 1985), a second Bird atlas oftheAdelaide and in the South-East. In 1994 it was dry nation region (Paton, Carpenter and Sinclair 1994), and wide, and the driest year ever on much of Eyre numerous regional accounts that include records Peninsula. In 1995 rainfall was above average or made during the survey period. Notable among heavy inWesternAustrali a(WA) and north-eastern these are Kangaroo Island (Baxter 1989, 1995; NOVEMBER 2003 95 Carpenter and Horton 1999), Eyre Peninsula hiaticula, Little Ringed Plover C. dubius, (Eckert, Parker and Reid 1985), Gawler Ranges Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan, Sabine's Gull (Joseph and Black 1983; Robinson et al. 1988; L. sabini, Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata, Rose-· Baxter and Paton 1998), Nullarbor Plain (Allen et crowned Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus regina, al. 1984), Great Victoria Desert (Black and Turquoise Parrot Neophema pulchella, Oriental Badman 1986; Matthew and Carpenter 1990), Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus, Brush Cuckoo Stony Deserts (Brandle and Reid 1998), South Cacomantis variolosus, House Swift Apus Olary Plains (Forward and Robinson 1996), affinis, Yellow Chat Epthianura crocea, Black Murray Mallee (Foulkes and Gillen 2000), South faced Monarch Monarcha melanopsis, Pied East (Parker and Reid 1983), Lake Eyre-Roxby Currawong Strepera graculina, Yellow Wagtail Downs region (Badman, Arnold and Bell 1991; Motacillaflava, Citrine Wagtail M. citreola and Read and Badman 1999; Read, Ebdon and Spinifexbird Eremiornis carteri. Most are supp Donohoe 2000), North East (Cox 1982; Reid orted by published accounts, although some (e.g. 1988; Reid 2000), Flinders Ranges (Reid, House Swift) await formal confirmation. The Carpenter and Fedler 1996; Brandle 2001), number of new records of seabirds and waders Ninety-mile Desert in the MurrayMallee (Close reflects growing interest in these groups, partic 1982a), Bangham district in theSouth East (Reid, ularly the seabird expeditions led by John Hatch Barrittand Houston 1985), Strathalbyn districtin and the observations at sea by Neil Cheshire the Murray Mallee/Mt Lofty Ranges (Eckert (Close 1982b; Hatch and Cheshire 2000; see also 2000), offshore islands (Robinson et al.