First record for Meringandan

[Mick Atzeni]

Club President Ross Begent reported a male blackbird he saw on 04.12.08 around 8AM. It flew across Meringandan-Shirley Road in an easterly direction near the junction of Hansfords Road (approx 500 metres south of the Meringandan Primary school).

This is the first report from the Meringindan area. Please be vigilant if you live or bird in that area. Report blackbird sightings to matzeni@westnet.com.au, to the Hotline on 46994365 or 46330553, or online at htttp://..toowoombabirdobservers.org.au

It's important we establish where the territories are ASAP in order to implement effective control measures.

Thanks Ross for the report.
_________________
Michael Atzeni

Ph: (07) 4688 1318 (work)
Mobile: 0458 9489 55

[Mick Atzeni]

From: Ross Begent <begent@australiamail.com>
Subject: Re: BLACKBIRD REPORT
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:10:42 -0500
To: <matzeni@westnet.com.au>

Thanks Mick, I will put it on the Summer Within Forum.
Yes there are plenty of houses in the area. There is long-established strip housing (with well established gardens) along Meringandan-Shirley Road. There are lots of new housing developments going in all around as well, but most of these do not yet have established gardens. Yes, I thought it may be a first for the location but I guess it is actually very close to Highfields - only a couple of kilometres or less as the 'blackbird' flies I guess. Although I drive along that road pretty much every morning on the way to work it is a first sighting in that location for me.

Being back in TAS last week reminded us of just how prevalent they can become. Very conscious of their song every morning in the cities & towns. One day we drove from Hobart to Cradle Mountain via Queenstown & Strahan which is around 500km of mostly wilderness - traversing parts of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, the and the Gordon-Franklin Wild Rivers National Park etc. The thing that really struck me was that as soon as you came to a town, no matter how small, and no matter how isolated by the surrounding tracts of wilderness - there were blackbirds. As we drove into the long abandoned, overgrown mining ghost town of Linda, I was telling Dan that they lay claim to being the smallest town in Australia with a population of three. As I was telling him the story we saw blackbirds.

It was a good reminder of what we want to prevent happening here!

Cheers,

Ross.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Atzeni"
To: begent@australiamail.com
Subject: BLACKBIRD REPORT
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:29:04 +0900


Thanks Ross. A first for there!! Will post details to Blackbird
forum. Will let you post your sighting to the Summer Within forum,
unless you want me to do it.

Any houses around that immediate area?

Regards
Mick

[Mick Atzeni]

DEEDI workmate Erin Gallagher saw a male blackbird 06/01/10 on the side of the road around 5 pm along the Goombungee Meringandan Road between Meringandan and Muniganeen.

Blackbird report submitted.

Thanks Erin.
_________________
Michael Atzeni

Ph: (07) 4688 1318 (work)
Mobile: 0458 9489 55

[Mick Atzeni]

This is about 4km west of Cooby Dam, where Common Blackbird was first recorded in SEQ in September 1986, and about 2km north of Meringandan West.

Although I am unaware of any other records from Cooby Dam proper, it would appear blackbirds have persisted in very low numbers in the Cooby Dam district for over 23 years now, and it is my hunch the Wilsonton and Highfields populations originated from this stock.

How they got to Cooby Dam in the first place remains a mystery.
_________________
Michael Atzeni

Ph: (07) 4688 1318 (work)
Mobile: 0458 9489 55