| Autor: |
COLLARD, STUART, CLARKE, ALEX, ARMSTRONG, DAVID, SAUTTER, ERIN |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Stilt: The Journal of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway; Oct2013, Issue 63/64, p6-15, 10p |
| Abstrakt: |
In early 2010, heavy rain fell across the outback region of South Australia. Later that year the Coorong population of Banded Stilts (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) left their usual coastal habitat, prompting an aerial search for the breeding birds across the vast salt lakes of northern SA. The search resulted in the discovery of one of the largest breeding colonies of Banded Stilts ever recorded at an isolated island in Lake Torrens National Park. A field surveillance team travelled to the island to observe the colony and, if required, to minimise the impact of Silver Gulls on the breeding birds. In this paper we provide an overview of past Banded Stilt breeding events in Australia. We describe the climatic conditions leading up the 2010 mass breeding event, the techniques used to discover the colony and the results of aerial and field-based observations, including observations on any impacts of Silver Gulls. We also provide information from follow-up observations, including the discovery of a second smaller colony at Lake Torrens in the same year. Using a conservative method that attempted to account for mortality, we estimate that more than 190,000 chicks departed the island after the initial breeding attempt. Subsequent breeding on the same island and in the secondary colony would have added substantially to this number. The mass breeding event is likely to contribute significantly to the long term viability of the Banded Stilt population in southern Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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