A further note on Coxen's Fig-Parrot - I worked at O'Reilly's Guest
House (Lamington NP, SE Qld) as a guide for a number of years until the
early 1990s and often visited the park from the 1970s prior to working
there. Over that time, I had no indication of the Fig-Parrot - at least
as far as I knew, and despite being alert for them. In 1991, I moved to
north Qld and almost every day since then I have heard or seen Macleay's
- I live beside a rainforested creek with a small but fairly permanent
population of Macleays. Some years ago, a pair nested in a low tree in
the garden and I have seen many nests in other areas. Consequently, I
have got to know their calls and distinct habits very well - something
which is unmistakeable, with experience, for any other species. However,
the calls without experience can easily be passed over for a small
passerine.
In November 2001, I was invited to return to O'Reilly's as one of the
leaders of their annual Bird Week. I was guiding a group of 8 people -
all experienced birdos - on a rough track through typical high altitude
subtropical rainforest. My co-guide was Dr Bill MacDonald from the
Queensland Hebarium. We had stopped to look at a fallen Stinging Tree
when suddenly a Fig-Parrot flew out above us, unfortunately above a
mid-layer of foliage where we could not see it. The bird performed the
distinctive "circle" flight so typical of Macleay's, returning to the
spot it flew from, and uttered the typical "zit-zit" Fig-Parrot call.
There is no mistaking this for anything else - nothing else does it..
Had that happened to me while I was working there, I would not have
known what it was and passed it over as a small rainforest species,
simply because I had had no experience with Fig-Parrots. I immediately
drew everyone's atttention to it and all agreed that it was different
from anthing they had heard previously. Later that night, tapes of
Macleay's were played and all 8 people agreed that the calls were
identical.
No, not a confirmed sighting for we did not get a look at the bird but
there is no doubt whatsoever that it was a Fig-Parrot. The habits and
call are so very distinctive when one knows them well. This is all the
more interesting for it is only a kilometre or so from where Dick
Church, a very reliable local birder, resides at the edge of the
rainforest who has had a handful of Fig-Parrot sightings over the years.
At a previous Bird Week, Graham Pizzey saw a small group of very small
green parrots flying across the valley in front of the guest house and
dive into the rainforest. The only other species they might have been
would be Little Lorikeets (which Graham was satisfied they were not),
which are very rare at those high altitudes and which have entirely
different habits - and don't inhabit rainforest.
In 1991, John Young showed me a recently used nest in a Moreton Bay Fig
at Kamaren Lookout on the road to O'Reilly's. I was doubtful about it at
the time, thinking anything could have made a hole like that but having
seen many Macleays nests since then, there is no mistaking a
Fig-Parrot's nest for that of any other species. This spot is also
fairly close to where Dick Church resides.
Macleays is very common in the Wet Tropics and it is difficult enough
getting sightings of them when needed, despite the fact that they often
move out into adjacent open Melaleuca forest to breed. With Coxen's
where the numbers are undoubtedly extremely low, and probably living
entirely within the rainforest canopy, the chance of a sighting must
surely be extremely remote - a tiny green bird high in the canopy which
probably does not call a great deal. (At least Macleay's comes down low
on occasions). It is only on that odd time when they fly and call that
one would have a slight chance. To my mind, it will be one of the most
difficult of species to track down and unless people know the call and
habits thoroughly, it will be passed over every time!
So as far as I am concerned, Coxen's existed at least until November 2001.
Lloyd Nielsen
Mt Molloy, Nth Qld
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