Laurie,
This link may answer your question:
http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2014/02/in-search-of-the-night-parrot.html?site=northqld&program=north_queensland_breakfast
It is a interview that John gave to Townsville ABC radio last Wednesday.
Hope this is of assistance to you.
Cheers,
Ian Boyd
-----Original Message-----
From: Laurie Knight
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 5:12 PM
To: Ian Boyd
Cc:
Subject: Joung Young - Rediscovery of the Night Parrot
Thanks for your report Ian.
Can you please tell us if the rediscovery narrative started with the
collection of the roadside specimen near Boulia?
Regards, Laurie.
On 11/02/2014, at 11:23 AM, Ian Boyd wrote:
‘The Rediscovery of the Night Parrot’ was the title of John Young’s
presentation to a BirdLife Townsville meeting last Saturday. John
captivated the 160 or so attendees with an informative account of his 15
year search for one of the worlds most elusive birds. His PowerPoint
presentation contained many photos to illustrate his search throughout
far western Queensland. Twenty four of the first ever photos of the Night
Parrot together with a short video amazed the audience.
Throughout his presentation John’s tenacity and superior bush skills were
evident. Details of fruitless searches in varying inhospitable places to
the searching of countless numbers of old bird nests for evidence of
Night Parrot feathers showed how he built up a theory of where the parrot
might be found. The high personal financial cost and the never ending
dead ends did not dissuade him for he was certain the bird was out there.
His excitement of finally finding the bird was infectious in the audience
who were by this time hanging onto his every word.
John finished off by saying that the finding of the Night Parrot was only
the beginning. Many more questions need to answered. He explained and
illustrated that he is conducting detailed field work with Dr Steve
Murphy (an ecologist with expertise on parrots) to gain information on
the birds life style, numbers and habitat preference.
John answered a number of questions from the audience. When queried about
the call his answer was that the Pizzey and Night field guide gives the
best clue; in particular the part about the two note whistle.
All in all, John’s presentation in the rediscovery of a bird, that some
thought was extinct and one that had not seen for around 100 years,
thrilled the audience that showed their appreciation with an ovation
likened to that usually seen at the end of a successful stage show.
At the end of the day it was quite clear that John’s concerns are for the
welfare of the bird above anything else. He is also mindful of the
privacy of the property owners in the vicinity of where the parrot was
found and, with that in mind, was not at all concerned about negative
comments on his stand on the secrecy he has put on the discovery
location.
It was interesting to note that some in the audience travelled from
interstate to Townsville just for the presentation. Such is the interest
in John’s discovery.
Ian Boyd
BirdLife Townsville
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