Scarlet Honeyeaters (Myzomela sanguinolenta) Unusually Abundant in Brisbane

Hugh Possingham Tweeted:

Scarlet honeyeaters are all over Brisbane city at present looking for nectar. 40 in Sherwood arboretum yesterday. Wherever they normally are must have failed to flower. https://t.co/P2IYl7coWW

— Hugh Possingham (@HugePossum) October 2, 2019

Tom Okey wrote:

Australia suffered the hottest drought on record during the austral summer of 2018-2019. This most recent extreme of an increasing temperature/decreasing precipitation trend has led to collapsing ecosystems across Australia. In his tweet, Dr. Possingham refers to the possibility that the Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta) may be mismatched this year with the timing of the flowering of plants they rely on (see the Match/Mismatch Hypothesis), or that these plants failed to flower altogether---either way apparently leading this species to concentrate in Brisbane city rather than foraging in their regular habitats, which may be unusually devoid of food this year.