In reply to John Layton’s comments about requiring further
information on Superb parrots I offer the following:
The Superb parrot is one of three parrot species that has a
pattern of migration in Australia, the others
are the Swift parrot and the Orange-bellied parrot. It appears from Atlas
information that the Superb parrot’s range consists of a central core in
which birds are resident the whole year, areas to the north in which birds are
only seen in the winter months and areas to the south and south east (our area
of concern) in which birds are only seen during the breeding season.
There has been no work done on their movement patterns but it would appear that
one of two things happen; either the entire population moves north and then
south i.e. it is not the same birds resident within the core area or, and more
likely from other migrant species, the northern wintering birds move to the south
and the south-east to breed. Unfortunately it is not quite that simple
for to my knowledge the south-eastern birds all leave the area but the southern
birds (around the Riverina) do not.
Historically there has been much fuss about the southern
birds but in my view it is our south-eastern birds and the central birds which
are the core breeding group (I hope no-one from the Deniliquin area is reading
this!). For some time it was unknown the extent to which birds bred
within our area and that is what I set out to find (see Canberra Bird Notes Vol
22 p1-14). Since then the PhD thesis by Dr. Adrian Manning has done much
to improve our knowledge on the landscape requirements of the Superb parrot
within the local area. It is now obvious that the birds breed locally (Wallaroo
Road, Gundaroo, possibly Goorooyaroo). It appears that
breeding birds return to our area around the last week in August and remain
very local to their traditional breeding sites. It is only once the young
have fledged that the birds leave their breeding sites and roam further a field.
That is exactly what happens each year at Mt Rogers and has happened again this
year but this time they have for various reasons (and hence the discussion)
moved further a field and therefore have been reported by many more people.
