Banded Stilts

In early June 2003 a mob of about 300 Banded Stilts was sighted on Sellars Lagoon on the east coast of Flinders Island, this is one of the largest sightings of Banded Stilts in Tasmania. Over the period of the next couple of weeks a mob of similar size was seen on the beach at Wally's Point  between Lady Barron and Badger Corner. Some of this mob of birds ran into power lines and 14 specimens collected by the Parks and Wildlife staff and sent to Tasmania for identification.

On June the 9th a very large mob of these birds were sighted on the flats at Wally's Point I was fortunate enough to take some photographs of these birds. They are remarkable to watch when they are flying in formation and look like a large mob of Budgies. The noise they make when they are feeding also is incredible. 

I am wondering with such large numbers congregating on our Island whether they are intending to breed on one of the lagoons on the Island. It was not until the 1930's that these birds were found breeding at Lake Eyre in South Australia since then very few colonies have been found. The usual habitat and range of these birds are the salt lakes and brackish estuaries of southern West Australia and South Australia.