Gidday Carol and Birders,
Rainbow lorikeets seem to be bucking the
trend and increasing their range. Growing up in the Lower Blue
Mountains, RL's were only occasional visitors, coming only when the Red
bloodwoods or Turpentines flowered well. Yet over the last 8-10 years
their numbers have exploded to the point that they are always around.
One suggestion was that they were being breed and released by a local
aviculturalist, but I have no proof of this. It seems that their ability
to use planted trees coupled with their long range of travel means they
are well suited to urban environments.
The birds in Orange may be escapees, but they may become established or
others move in from the coast. Only time will tell.
Cheers
Graham Turner
Lapstone, Lower Blue Mountains
About 60km west of Sydney.
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Carol
Probets
Sent: Sunday, 5 October 2003 1:09 PM
To: Stephen Gross; Birding-Aus
Subject: Rainbow Lorikeets in Orange
Steve,
In this part of the NSW central tablelands, Rainbow Lorikeets are
gradually moving up the Blue Mountains. Although they used to be almost
exclusively a lower mountains species, they are now regularly seen up as
far as Wentworth Falls. In autumn 2000 we had an irruption at Katoomba
and further west. Apparently they are a rare visitor to the Capertee
Valley although I have personally never seen them there.
However, in that classic reference Morris McGill & Holmes (1981) they
are listed as extending west to Orange.
Cheers
Carol
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