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All
It was with some dismay that I read Jon Starks
recent thread accusing local Illawarra observers of apathy (see below). So I
thought I'd just correct a couple of facts.
Firstly the observer of the parrot contacted a
knowledgeable local and told them the tale. That was passed on to me immediately
and subsequently disseminated to about 20 local observers via email on 29/5.
Five of these observers, including myself, went to the location (and nearby
potential sites) over the next week and searched without success for the
parrot.
Secondly, in his original statement the unnamed
observer mentioned nothing about photographs, clearly stated that he bird
was banded only on the right leg, and stated that he had only seen the
bird twice.
Clearly there are some discrepancies in fact
between what was originally reported and what Mr. Starks reports
below.
At no time did any Illawarra observer suggest that
it was a hybrid something and Bass Point (90km s Sydney) is well known for all
sorts of relatively unusual species turning up from time to time (Australian
Birds 21, 1-18).
The original unnamed observer is known to me, and I
had little doubt in what he originally saw and acted accordingly. The fact that
the story has changed over a period of days is however somewhat reminiscing of
fishing tales.
Finally, I'm disappointed that a co-ordinator of
some presumed official program choose a public discussion group such as this to
air his accusations without checking with local observers first-hand himself.
An OBP so far outside its usual range requires some
sort of validation to be accepted as authentic, though I note that the OPB was
recorded around Sydney in the early 1900's (North 1912 Nests & Eggs, Vol
3,p160) and there was the probable Comerong Is. observation that other have
mentioned.
cheers
Chris Chafer
On three occasions in late May, a resident walking
his dog at Bass Point,
Shellharbour, flushed a small green parrot from a
patch of weeds next to a
carpark. He identified it as an Orange-bellied
Parrot and took a series of
photos of the bird, also noting that it was
banded. He rang a number of
different groups to report it, including
national parks and the banding
office, but no-one seemed to take him
seriously, eventually mailing the
photos to the Aust Museum. The local
council weeded the area a few days
after he found the parrot and it hasn't
been seen since. I have only just
heard of this and got the man's
details via the museum. I've examined all
his photos and visited the
site with him. The parrot in the photos looks
for all the world like a
juvenile OBP, and the fact that it is colour banded
on both legs in a manner
consistent with the combinations used at Melaleuca,
Tas., strongly suggests
that it is an OBP and not a hybrid something that
has escaped from an aviary,
as I understand aviculturists usually use only
one band. The last
sighting of an OBP in NSW was at Shoalhaven in 1986.
I would strongly
encourage anyone visiting coastal saltmarsh and weedy areas
in NSW to keep a
lookout for neophema parrots and report any sightings.
Jonathan
Starks
Winter co-ordinator, OBP Recovery Program
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