Folks,
Been a while since I've posted anything here, partly because I've struggled to
get out and do much birding of late. However, we got away last weekend, just
for Saturday night, to Glenrowan and spent some time roaming through the Warby
Ranges State Park, primarily to have a first-hand look at the camping areas
(Killawarra Camp & Wenhams) with a view to maybe camping there in the
spring-time.
Killawarra was full of flowering ironbarks, and hence full of Noisy Friarbirds
living up to their name, which made it hard to get on to all the other birds at
least by call, but there were at least 7 other honeyeaters present - Red
Wattlebird, Yellow-tufted, Fuscous, White-plumed, Brown-headed, Black-chinned &
Eastern Spinebill. Also Jacky Winters, Hooded Robins and Restless Flycatcher.
Most of the other spots we stopped were much quieter - no flowering among the
box or stringybarks - but we did get White-browed Babblers at Wenhams. There
were about 30 Gang-gangs hanging around the caravan park in Glenrowan, along
with one or two brown-plumaged Flame Robins. Also one Swift Parrot flying
over, heading north in the dusk.
I went out early in the wind on Sunday morning to the "Sunrise" track complex
at the western end of Delloro Road. Brilliant views towards Mt Buffalo and the
Alps; also King Parrot, Speckled Warblers, Brown, Striated, Buff-rumped and
Yellow Thornbills feeding together and wonderful views of three Turquoise
Parrots. The bird I saw best looked like a male, with a full blue facial mask,
except that it had no discernible chestnut shoulder patch. I got close enough
to see distinctly that it had a pale eye, which agrees with the photo in Chris
Tzaros' Ironbark Wildlife book. However Pizzey & Knight show Turquoise Parrot
with a dark eye (along with all the other Neophemas). I then dug into a couple
of other references: the male photographed in Jim Flegg's photographic field
guide appears to have a dark eye and Alan Lendon's revised edition of Neville
Cayley's "Australian Parrots in Field and Aviary" (which provides minute
descriptions of appearance) says "eyes brown". I don't have ready access to
HANZAB, and maybe the answer to this apparent paradox is there. Do Turquoise
Parrots vary in eye colour, perhaps as a normal part of individual variation,
or as they age? or do differen populations exhibit different eye colours? I'd
be interested in any advice or other references I should consult.
Unfortunately my "Bird Watcher" collection starts at June 1973 and Howard
Jarman's article on the Turquoise Parrot, which might have the answer, appeared
in Volume 4 earlier that year.
In any event, a very pleasant couple of days out of town.
Regards,
Jack Krohn
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