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The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans): results of banding and observations in New South Wales coastal waters and the Tasman Sea

Notornis, 14 (2), 47-57

J.D. Gibson (1967)

Article Type: Paper

The albatrosses occurring in Australian seas are briefly enumerated noting the predominance of different species in different regions. The development of an effective method of catching wandering albatrosses at sea is mentioned, by means of which over 1700 have been banded (up to 1966). Data on weights and measurements are given. Most of the 61 recoveries of exulans have come from South Georgia, a distance of over 7000 miles, where British and American biologists have been active for several seasons. Reciprocal recoveries have also been recorded of birds banded at South Georgia. Other returns have proved that individuals from Kerguelen, Marion and Auckland Islands are present off New South Wales in winter. The high rate of retraps at the place of banding indicates a facility for precise navigation and suggests an ordered migration pattern to remembered feeding areas between breeding seasons. Tasman transects are examined and related to hydrological factors. A field method for recording plumage patterns is described and the sequence of plumage change, based on individual retraps, is discussed.

Longevity of weka

Notornis, 14 (1), 36-36

A. Blackburn (1967)

Article Type: Short Note

Foods of the white-faced heron

Notornis, 14 (1), 11-17

A.L.K. Carroll (1967)

Article Type: Paper

A study of the stomach contents of 89 white-faced herons showed them to be primarily wetland-pasture and aquatic feeders. Although predominantly carnivorous, 65 birds had eaten plant material, usually in small amounts. Vegetative parts of sedge, grass and clover occurred most frequently, but in two specimens water-weed comprised the bulk of plant food. Invertebrate food, present in every specimen except one, was predominantly crustaceans, insects, annelids and arachnids. Molluscs and a proportion of smaller invertebrates were considered in most cases to be present as a result of their liberation from gut of digested fish. All birds were collected from habitats where fish especially trout were present or within feeding range. Fish occurred in 45 stomachs. In order of weight consumed they were bully, smelt, trout and whitebait (adult and immature). Elvers and carp were eaten so rarely that they were unimportant in this study.

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