John, are you aware there is a Superb Parrot roost on Federal Golf Course?
Ryu Callaway first reported it on 17 February with around 50 birds, and others have confirmed it to me since.
While speaking with Laura Rayner after her presentation at the ANBG last Friday, she indicated that the southside birds had tended to stay over winter last year, while the northside birds she has been studying moved away.
So you may be able to enjoy them for quite a while longer - over 100 birds is a very significant number anywhere in the ACT.
Jack Holland
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2019 5:08 PM
Subject: [canberrabirds] Superb Parrots still in Hughes
This afternoon between 4 and 5 pm I observed 60+ Superb Parrots in Hughes.
There were a few in the gum trees to the north of Hughes Primary School and I then proceeded up the bike path towards the golf course undrt Kent Street and in that in that area I observed 60+ individuals.
But I could hear SPs calling in the distance up towards the golf course so I would say there were probably over 100 in the Hughes area this afternoon.
There appeared to be large numbers of immature birds with them. I observed their feeding behavior in eucalypts. They have a very efficient sewing machine like way of processing a leaf to get the lerps off. They start at the proximal end of the leaf moving
towards the distal, and just processing it through their beak, cleaning the keeps off. One female was hanging by one leg in her pursuit of a particular succulent lerpy leaf
Noisy Miners were in several cases sitting around impotently seeming like they wanted to try to chase away the Superbs, but they knew they were outnumbered.
Amazing little while.
It’ll be interesting to see when they leave the area.
John Leonard
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John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net
‘There is kinship between people and all animals. Such is the Law.’ Kimberley lawmen (from Yorro Yorro)
