Robert -
At 10:46 27/01/1998, you wrote:
>I just recently purchased the book "Australian Grass Parakeets" by Sindel
>and Gill. I was interested to read that there have been apparent
>unconfirmed sightings of Paradise Parrots by notable birders in the last
>decade and apparently there is an article in Wingspan 11 about this (which
>I don't have).
Yes, there is an article 'Paradise on Earth', Wingspan 11: 24-25 (1993) by
Christopher Kiernan. An extract from it:
'Between late February and mid-April 1990, five Paradise Parrots were
regularly sighted at a station homestead in central Queensland near where
Gilbert possibly sighted the bird in 1844. By invitation of the observers,
I visited this property where I personally observed the parrots from 15
April to approximately 21 April. They were observed in the early morning
from approximately 7.00 am, and in the late afternoon, from approximately
4.30 to 6.30 pm, every day during the eight-week period... They could be
approached to within two metres without disturbance, which enabled detailed
observations to be made.'
The station was not identified. It is extremely unfortunate that, despite
the detailed observations from up to within two metres, apparently for
several hours over several days, there were no photographs, and I am not
aware of any submissions to the then RAOU Records Appraisal Committee.
Contrast this with a more recent article by Andrew Isles, 'The Paradise
Parrot: 70 Years On', Eclectus 3: 24-26 (1997), who said in his concluding
paragraph
'The Paradise Parrot is now extinct. There are compelling ecological and
historical arguments why this must be so. The bird was a specialised
inhabitatnt of sub-tropical open woodlands and grasslands which have changed
dramatically since first opened up by pastoralists. The literature in the
Emu suggests that the population had collapsed by the turn of the century
with Charles Barnard (1917) writing that he had not heard of the bird since
the 1902 drought and that there was very little seeding grass for the three
years prior to 1902... It took a concerted effort by Alec Chisholm to
locate birds and with the help Cyril Jerrard he saw a pair in November 1922.
There is every likelihood that Chisholm and Jerrard are the only two people
to have seen Paradise Parrots this century and they were looking at the last
few remaining birds... The Paradise Parrot became extinct, or beyond
retrieval, by 1927. Prove me wrong.'
The authors of the book seem to imply that there is an
>conspiracy by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife service to protect
>re-discovered populations of Paradise Parrots (which makes sense) and that
>the Queensland Museum apparently found some eggs in the wild in the last
>decade. Can anyone shed any light as to the truth of these rumours?
Paradise Parrots and conspiracy theories seem to go together. What is nice
about a conspiracy theory is that it is virtually unfalsifiable. My opinion
is that trying to keep secret the existence of a population of a purportedly
extinct, high-profile, charismatic species is stupid, futile and,
ultimately, counterproductive, and I find it very difficult to believe. If
there is a relict population of Paradise Parrots on some Queensland pastoral
lease being secretly managed by the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service, the
carefully managed release of the information would arouse enormous interest
throughout the world and stimulate the provision of financial resources for
habitat purchase environmental management, not only for PPs but for
ecologically related plants and animals. Keep quiet about it, and
inadequate research, funding and conservation management will probably
ensure that ongoing causes of decline will continue until the birds disappear.
Yes, it's nice to dream that there are still Paradise Parrots, Thylacines
and Noisy Scrub-birds still out there. Whoops! Sometimes dreams come true.
But rumours and conspiracy theories are cheap. Take a good photograph, a
moulted feather or a detailed field description next time you see a Paradise
Parrot.
Regards, Hugo.
Hugo Phillipps,
Birds Australia Conservation & Liaison,
Australian Bird Research Centre,
415 Riversdale Road,
Hawthorn East, VIC 3123, Australia.
Tel: (03) 9882 2622. Fax: (03) 9882 2677.
O/s: +61 3 9882 2622. Fax: +61 3 9882 2677.
Email: <>
Web Homepage: http://www.vicnet.net.au/~birdsaus
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