Brahminy kite name origin1/17/2024 ![]() They have an interesting call which you may hear at night if you walk the island. The birds call frequently, reinforcing pair bond, establishing territories and calling to their chicks. One of the shearwaters referred to as a 'Muttonbird', during summer months they nest in burrows up to 2 metres in length. While walking around the island, look for the burrows of Wedge-tailed Shearwater. In terms of other terns, there's occasional records of White Tern, Grey Ternlet, Little Tern, White-winged Black Tern, Caspian Tern, and a vagrant record of the endangered New Caledonian Fairy Tern. By contrast, if you go to somewhere like Michaelmas Cay (a sand cay with no trees) Black Noddy are rarely seen. This is mainly due to the presence of trees, particularly the Pisonia forests western part of the island. Like the Common Noddy, there are literally thousands of Black Noddy on Lady Elliot Island. ![]() (White Tern, by contrast, also nest in trees - however it lays a single egg on a bare tree branch). ![]() Simple! Black Noddy are the only marine tern to build large nests and one of only a few that nests in trees. Common Noddy nest and roost on the ground or in small shrubs, while Black Noddy nests in trees. Aside from the white cap, there’s a very good way to tell the two apart. Common Noddy are the larger cousins of the Black Noddy, the latter also known as the ‘White-capped Noddy’. The name ‘Noddy’ derives from its characteristic nodding during their breeding displays. But who would want to do that?Ĭommon Noddy, as the names suggests, very common on Lady Elliot. U sually present on the island year-round, but can be scarce between March and May, you could, if you wished, sit on the balcony of a cabin, drinking a Tequila Sunrise (the islands special drink), and twitch a Red-tailed Tropicbird. Despite this, it's really important to avoid any disturbance. Like other birds on the island, they're pretty much unperturbed by people - sometimes nesting directly beside a cabin's balcony. Perhaps they like country music? In terms of where you see them on the island, I've found the best place to be around the cabins in the south-east section near the Fish Pool. In 1979 a bird turned up Tamworth in country NSW. D espite being a tropical pelagic species - often after a cyclone - they turn up in some funny places. With long flowing wing beats it flies almost like a Nightjar, butterfly-like across the sky. These streamers simply add to the sheer beauty of the bird, its large white body seeming to glow white against a backdrop of sunny blue skies. These gave the bird its alternative name Bos'nbird, an historical reference to the semblance of its tail feathers to a marlin spike. One of the special features of the Red-tailed Tropicbird is its red-tail streamers. This is virtually no nest at all, indicative of many seabirds. They nest virtually year-round in simple 'scrapes’ - a small depression in the sand. First recorded nesting there in 1983, there are now 23 known nest sites with up to 8 pairs nesting at one time. One of the most spectacular birds found on Lady Elliot Island is the Red-tailed Tropicbird. A spectacular birds Red-tailed Tropicbird flying overhead.
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