Hi Mick, Why assume that because a Yellow Wagtail is seen on 22 June in
Australia that it is necessarily overwintering? One can only make that claim
if the bird is seen throughout the winter, not on just one day. Someone else
made the same claim about another species seen recently on a single day and
although it raised my ire, I didn't complain. If it is still around in
September then it will have overwintered. Until then, this is just a winter
record, as significant as that may be.
A true case of overwintering was the Spotted Redshank found at the Eastern
Treatment Plant SE of Melbourne on 14 March 1992, that disappeared from that
site on 29 May 1992 but rediscovered on a nearby wetland on 17 June and
after moving to a number of other wetlands in the district was last seen in
the area on 14 September 1992.
Besides Yellow Wagtails, both White and Citrine have also appeared in
Australia in winter. A White Wagtail of the race leucopsis was present at
Portland, Victoria from 7 June to 23 August 1992 (I'd accept that bird
overwintered), and an adult male Citrine Wagtail was present at Goolwa,
South Australia from late May into early June 1987 when it suddenly
disappeared. Nearly two decades later we learnt that it had been shot and
prepared as a stuffed skin! It was found when a private collection was
gifted to the South Australian Museum following the demise of its owner! And
that wasn't the only rarity that he had collected!
Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Tel (03) 9787 7136
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