I believe that starting in the late 1990s (or maybe slightly earlier)
Superbs Parrots have had an expansion of range aorund the northern
population (the Young, Cootamundra, Cowra area) and are now seen in
greater numbers further south and east at least (up to the northern
suburbs of Canberra).
This may have soemthing to do with them discovering new food sources
(possibly the seeds of exotic grasses, or planted shrubs). I doubt it
means more nesting hollows in eucalypts.
However, this expansion is presumably an expansion back into the range
they occupied earlier in the C20 (there are reports of large flocks in
the northern ACT form the 1950s). The northern and southern
populations (the southern one being the one along the Murumbidgee and
middle Murray) were also presumably also united at one stage.
John Leonard
2008/11/9 Peter Ormay <>:
> Hello Sue.
> I travelled daily from Upper Burrinjuck (where the park and boat ramp are
> now) into Yass to school in the early '50s for a year and didn't see a
> single 'Greenleek' (Superb Parrot) along tha route although I was keen on
> parrots at the time. So much so that I had arranged to swap a Crimson
> Rosella for one with a kid from north of Bowning where SPs were known to be
> common (among us kids at the time). The exchange didn't go through.
>
> It appears that SPs were rare or absent between Yass and Burrinjuck in the
> early 50s. Has there been an increase in Superb Parrots in that area?
> Comments welcome
>
> Peter
>
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