A call to Liz identified them as probably being Whitethroated Needletails, similar to Swallows in shape but bigger and without the telltale forked tail, preparing to migrate to their winter breeding sky somewhere in northern Asia.
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=682
Composite photograph by John H
More sightings from Pam
"I have on two occasions this month watched large flocks of needletailed
swifts milling around in the sky above Scamander, so high they looked
like a swarm of mosquitoes at times. They would suddenly disperse, then
equally suddenly reappear, gathering from every direction and even
swooping low over the beach and the river. The low sun lit up their
white throats."
Just stepped outside to see a mass of needletails milling about in the sky over Scamander.
ReplyDeleteFeb 27 11am Pam Bretz
Only second time I have seen these in thirty years, stunning. They were so high that I had trouble identifying them, but I wondered if they were feeding on some insect.
Delete"They do not pursue individual insects, but repeatedly dive through swarms of insects, taking prey which is almost in a direct line of flight, and then regain their original height before diving again, circling through prey-rich sites (Cameron 1968)."
John H