birding-aus

Swift Parrots in Victoria

To:
Subject: Swift Parrots in Victoria
From: Chris Tzaros <>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 10:01:24 +1100
Dear birding-aussers,

A few observers have recently reported seeing/hearing Swift Parrots in
Victoria, and one possible occurrence in NSW.  

Yesterday (Sunday 23rd), I saw my first Swifties for the season - two
groups in the one gorgeous day!  The first sighting was in the morning in
the Mandurang South block of the newly acclaimed Greater Bendigo National
Park (15 kms south of Bendigo).  Five Swifties were seen foraging on
blossoming Grey Box, with Musk and Little Lorikeets and Black-chinned,
Fuscous and Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters.  At one stage, the three parrot
species were all on the one small branch, foraging harmoniously together.
Ringing in the distance were calls of the Crested Bellbird while a couple
of Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens ran around on the ground among fallen
branches.  It was an absolutely wonderful experience.  Is this a sign of
what the season might hold for this area?  It would be great to see the
box-ironbark 'bounce back' after last years drought-related fizzer.

The second sighting of Swifties was back home in Altona late in the day.  A
group of four flew over the house and alighted in the large Spotted Gum
next door.  Almost as soon as they landed, they were chased by Red
Wattlebirds, and they burst out of the tree, flew in a large high circle,
and landed again in nearby Yellow Gums.  My partner and I watched this
behaviour for a while, then as it got darker, the Swifties set-up camp in a
patch of mixed eucalypts in the nearby park.  So Swifties at home and away!
 Great to see.

Please be on the lookout for them over the coming months and of course, I'd
love to hear of any sightings, as would Debbie Saunders in NSW.

Happy birding!

Chris

Chris Tzaros
Research and Conservation Officer
Birds Australia (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union) 
National Office
415 Riversdale Rd
Hawthorn East, Vic., 3123
Ph: 03-9882-2622
Fax: 03-9882-2677
Email: 
Website address: http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au
*****************************************************************************
Privileged/confidential information or data may be contained in this
message. If you are not the intended addressee indicated in this message,
you may not copy or deliver this message or take an action in reliance on
it. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the
sender by return email. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this
message that do not relate to the official business of Birds Australia
shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it. Birds Australia
accepts no liability for any damage caused in the transmission, receipt or
opening of this message and any files transmitted with it. 
****************************************************************************
Australian Partner of BirdLife International. Are you a member of Birds
Australia? If not, why not join us?


Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to 


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU