Eastern Rosellas nesting in a rabbit warren

[Gina Wyatt <>]

Hello all,

I would have thought this was really unusual. At Campbell Park Offices, which is where I work, we have Eastern rosellas sitting on a clutch of four eggs - in the ground!

They are immediately opposite the entrance to the Delta node, about three-four metres back from the copperlog barrier, in a very high traffic area (it's where our smokers congregate). There was a large eucalypt on the site till last year - it was cut down and the stump munched. (Incidentally southern rosellas used to nest in a hollow at the top of that old tree). What's there now is a big mound of reddish mulch and it's in a burrow in this mound that they've nested. The security guards told me that they've seen bunnies coming out of that burrow before, but not recently, so obviously the rosellas have negotiated something with the rabbits.

It's an extremely precarious-looking spot for so many reasons, anyone have any ideas why they would have nested there, and if it's likely
 the clutch will make it to maturity in such a situation?

Gina

---

Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. Get it now.