canberrabirds

lorikeet

To: "'Mark Clayton'" <>, "'Canberra Birds'" <>
Subject: lorikeet
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:00:07 +1000
Mark is very welcome to feel that the small population of Rainbow Lorikeets in Canberra, which are primarily on the north side, have all come from aviary escapees and not genuine wild birds. That may very well be the true history. I for one, don't have any evidence to the contrary. Also for what it is worth, I have never seen that group but I have over the years seen Rainbow Lorikeets in several other places around Canberra and Queanbeyan that certainly behaved like wild birds. That does not prove either idea. Of course that also raises the old chestnut about if they are breeding here, when do we regard them as wild? It shouldn't be hard to know if they are being supplementary fed. We have plenty of other species of parrots that are being supplementary fed, all around the city. I am curious as to doubts over lorikeets self feeding, when we have great numbers of honeyeaters doing quite well.
 
About the (?) former population of Blue-billed Ducks on the Fyshwick Sewage Ponds well that is an interesting new twist. No doubt many of us, other than just Mark and I have wondered why that little group got established and did so well there. Always were a draw card to add some joy to a trip to the site. It would be interesting to confirm or otherwise what Mark now raises as I suppose a rumour. I had just assumed that there isn't any other suitable habitat elsewhere nearby and / or the species is so uncommon that there has not been arrivals from outside to establish another group nearby. 
 
Philip
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Clayton [
Sent: Friday, 30 September 2011 2:06 PM
To: 'Philip Veerman'; 'Canberra Birds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] lorikeet

The lost lorikeet in today’s Canberra Times is a Rainbow Lorikeet. I feel that the small population of Rainbow Lorikeets in Canberra, which are primarily on the north side, have all come from aviary escapees and not genuine wild birds. Virtually all the Rainbow Lorikeets I have seen in Kaleen have been aviary escapees; they are relatively easy to pick by their behaviour. “Rainbow Lorikeets are nomadic, their presence or fluctuations in numbers in any area being governed by the flowering of trees and shrubs”[ Forshaw 1992, Australian Parrots]. I doubt very much that there is a year round supply of nectar available here unless the birds are being deliberately fed a la Currumbin in Queensland. If they are wild birds why are they here year round and why in such a relatively small area? In southern Western Australia they have exploded in numbers. Why has it taken so long for these birds to build into the low numbers now seen in Canberra?

 

The same goes for the (?) former population of Blue-billed Ducks on the Fyshwick Sewage Ponds. After asking a few questions of people in the know (there are several duck experts locally) I am now 99% certain they were “aviary” bred and released on the ponds. Why have they never been recorded away from Fyshwick?

 

I’ll be interested to see people’s comments!

 

Mark

 

From: Philip Veerman [
Sent: Friday, 30 September 2011 11:56 AM
To: 'Canberra Birds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] lorikeet

 

Yes we should remain aware of the existence of escaped birds. What species of Lorikeet would that be? I would suggest instead it would be more correct to say so any sightings may not be of a 'wild' bird. That on the unlikely possibility that this escaped bird is seen, relative to the known small existing wild population of Rainbow Lorikeets.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael and Janette Lenz [
Sent: Friday, 30 September 2011 10:12 AM
To: chat line
Subject: [canberrabirds] lorikeet

In today's CT newspaper a lost notice for a lorikeet at Evatt - so any sightings would not be of a 'wild' bird.

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