Dear All,
Further to Lawrie's posting regarding Carlisle State Park in south western
Victoria, a couple of us on this trip spent a chilly evening in the vain
hope of finding Ground Parrot by watching and listening for crepuscular
activity, as this species is supposed to perform as series of display
flights around dusk. Of course we did not see or hear any sign of Ground
Parrot, however the numerous Southern Emu-wrens in the heath kept us amused
until dusk.
>From my reading I understand that the Ground Parrot declined dramatically
in this park during the 1980s due to a series of fires at short intervals
in the heath, thereby making the habitat unsuitable. Ground Parrots
reportedly prefer heath of over four years post fire and it is recommended
that a patchwork of different aged heaths is established to provide
suitable habitat for this species.
Can anyone tell me of the last sightings of this species in Carlisle State
park, or even anywhere west of Melbourne? It would appear that this species
may have already disappeared from this region. I would also be interested
to know of any recent sightings at Wilson's Prom.
Finally the heath at Carlisle seems to my untrained eye to be of a fairly
uniform age and probably in the region of ten or more years old. Is there a
management plan for this park that takes into account the Ground Parrot's
habitat requirements and are there any plans to reintroduce the species,
assuming it has disappeared.
Regards
Stuart Dashper
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
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