Memorandum to:         The Director of Birds Australia

 

From:                          Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC)

 

Date:                            11th January 2007

 

Voting Members:         Mike Carter                   Andrew Silcocks

                                    Rohan Clarke                 Glenn Holmes

                                    John Hatch                    Jamie Matthew

                                    Tony Palliser                 Danny Rogers

                       

Cc.                               David Stewart               

 

 

Submission No 470: Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Fraser Island, QLD, 22nd September 2003 (Unpublished).

 

 

Verdict: Not Accepted

 

 

This submission relates to the perceived sighting of a Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes on an ocean beach near Happy Valley, Fraser Island, QLD, on the 22nd September 2003. The bird was observed for about a minute, before it flew out of sight over sand dunes.

 

Although the bird was only in view (with binoculars) for a short time the observers were  able to establish an approximate size, relative proportions and general plumage features, some of which  support the identification including a long straight bill and long bright-yellow legs. In flight the bird showed a uniform upperwing pattern and uttered a loud ‘tew’ call just prior to taking flight. The observers eliminated Greater Yellowlegs T. melanoleuca by size and Marsh Sandpiper T. stagnatilis by dark overall plumage with white spotting on the upperparts, the lack of a supercilium and the bright yellow legs.

 

Members concurred that the observers experience with the species overseas was a very positive factor, however only two votes of acceptance were received. Some features described are consistent with the species claimed, but the size of the bird, estimated at only 1.5 times that of a Red-capped Plover, the brevity of the sighting, coupled with the absence of supporting material such as photographs or notes resulted in six votes of non-acceptance. A number of important features were not documented such as a white rump contrasting with a dark lower back that should  have been a prominent feature in flight.

 

 

 

Selected Bibliography:

 

·         Beaman, M. & Madge S., (1998), The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic, Princeton, New Jersey.

·         Chandler, R.J. (1989), The Macmillan Field Guide to North Atlantic Shorebirds, Macmillan, London.

·         Hayman, P., Marchant, J. & Prater, T. (1986), Shorebirds; an Identification Guide to the Waders of the World, Croom Helm, Sydney.

·         Higgins, P.J. Davies S.J.J.F. (Eds) (1996). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 3: Snipe to Pigeons. Oxford University Press, Melbourne

·         Prater, A.J., Marchant, J.H. & Vuorinen J. (1977), Guide to the identification and ageing of Holarctic Waders, British Trust for Ornithology, Tring, Herts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Palliser

Chairman, Birds Australia Rarities Committee