canberrabirds

FW: [canberrabirds] Re: ANU Superbs

To: "" <>
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] Re: ANU Superbs
From: Geoffrey Dabb <>
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2019 03:36:50 +0000

Occasionally they’re in the long grass between AIS and the TAFE, feeding on seed heads. Around 2011 there were many reports of SPs feeding on the ground on open spaces south of Belconnen Way, eg Macquarie oval, Weetangera playing fields. I made a couple of visits at the time.  I won’t bore you with the photos, but one flock contained an unusual individual (below).  I aired it at the time and no-one had seen anything like it.  Now more interest is being taken in Superbs, I’ll re-inflict it as something to look out for.

 

 

 

From: Martin Butterfield <>
Sent: Saturday, 26 January 2019 12:24 PM
To: COG List <>
Subject: [canberrabirds] Re: ANU Superbs

 

In my blogpost I expressed my initial surprise at the birds feeding on the ground.  That was because in my observations of the birds in Canberra (mainly AIS or Mount Rogers) I had always seen seen them up in the trees (presumably feeding on lerp).  I commented that Forshaw describes them as often feeding on the ground.  

 

On further thought I recalled that when the species first appeared in Canberra the wider debate included the problems experienced in their core range around Boorowa, of the birds being killed while feeding on grain spilt on the roads by agricultural trucks.  So ground feeding is not at all unusual.  (I would note that, like red-rumps, for such brightly coloured birds they can be well camouflaged if the grass is at all long.)

 

 

 

On Fri, 25 Jan 2019 at 13:14, Martin Butterfield <> wrote:

Kevin Windle was king enough to show me the Superb Parrots around the Coombs Building at ANU this morning.  We estimated that we saw 40 birds in our lap of the building, although they were very mobile and not easy to count.  I have put a few photos in a blog post.

 

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