Hi Birders,
Bruce Roubin in a posting
yesterday mentioned the unusual birds that he is having around Caringbah. It is
possible that flowering of the isolated Swamp Mahoganies in the local parks
could be pulling in some of the birds. In the 1960s & 1970s the local
birdwatcher at Caringbah, was Fred Johnston, a friend of Arnold McGill. Fred
used to report the first Swift Parrots for the winter for Sydney, around
Caringbah, particularly in the Cronulla-Caringbah area around the Sharks Oval
and such places. I saw my first Swifties in that area. There have been no
reports of Swifties in the Caringbah area in recent years and I often
wonder whether this is because Fred is no longer living and he could identify
Swifties by call. Flowering SM are attractive to Musk Lorikeets, and it
is my experience that if Musk Lorikeets are present, there is a good chance
of Swift Parrots. So Bruce keep your ears and eyes peeled.
Alan
Morris
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