I didn't go looking for birds on the weekend but I think I may have seen
a Swift Parrot. This was at Toronto on the shores of Lake Macquarie. The
weather was showery with strong winds and the light wasn't very good and
I didn't have my binoculars so I can't be certain about it, but I did
see a parrot with a long tail and a fluttering flight pattern fly out
over the water for a short distance. As it turned in a brief patch of
sunlight I caught sight of some red under the wings. The only other
thing it could have been was a Lorikeet (Rainbows are reasonably common
in the area and Scaly-breasted are sometimes seen here) but the tail
looked too long and the body looked slimmer. I have never seen a
Lorikeet fly in the fluttering way that this bird did. Swift Parrots
have been reported from Morisset recently (~10km away).
The inclement weather had an effect on the birds, we saw a Gannet out in
the bay at Toronto (we were engaged in a yacht race). I can't remember
having seen one in the Lake before. We returned home to find a female
Rose Robin sheltering on our back verandah .
Paul Osborn
>----------
>From: Conole, Lawrie[SMTP:
>Sent: Monday, 12 May 1997 10:00
>To: 'ozbird'
>Subject: Swift Parrots & Regent Honeyeaters
>
>Did anyone else go looking for Swift Parrots or Regent Honeyeaters on
>the designated survey weekend (the one just gone)? ..
>
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