Is anyone else seeing lots of lorikeets around, particularly in Victoria?
It seems to be a boom year for them here, but that could be just my
perception because we are getting greater numbers, and greater diversity,
than usual. Perhaps we have the best flowering eucalypts in the region!
Over the last couple of weeks, we've had dozens of Musk Lorikeets, and
occasional sightings of Purple-crowned and Littles in smaller numbers.
It's hard to get an accurate count because they are so mobile, but Musks
have been recorded at almost every time of the day, every day. Littles and
Purple-crowned have been in small groups or pairs - I've noticed one or
the other almost every day, so it's likely they've been here the whole
time.
Rainbow Lorikeets are very conspicuous throughout most of the Geelong
urban area, but are not usually present around here, on the northern shore
of Corio Bay, but for the last couple of weeks I've seen them around home
most days, up to 6 birds at a time. We've also had Red-rumped Parrots a
few times recently - another bird I've only recorded at home about 3 or 4
times in nearly 20 years.
SO is it a great year for lorikeets because it's a good year for flowering
gums? Or are we just lucky that they've all decided to spend February in
our trees?
I haven't noticed changes in other species attracted to the flowering
eucalypts, although the New Holland and White-plumed Honeyeaters seem to
have bred prolifically, something that doesn't happen every year.
Russell Woodford
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