Superb Parrot at Chiltern?

Just returned from a week away at Chiltern looking at the wonderful floral display in the forest and roadsides of the district and in the national park.

We met John Geraty (spelling) from Rainbow in far north west Victoria who said he saw a number of Superb Parrots fly out of the Bartleys Block section (about 2km north of Chiltern) of the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park early last Saturday morning (1 October 2005).  The Friends of Chiltern Box-Ironbark National Park happened to be gathering in town that morning and checked out the locality for the parrot without success.

Chiltern is some distance from the nearest locations previously recorded for this species, so this would be a major new extension of range for the taxon in Victoria.  The nearest recorded sites for the species are Shepparton and Numurkah.

The Atlas of Victorian Birds (1987. p. 148) says in part:
'Superb Parrots are now found only in the upper Murray Valley, primarily in the riverine forests and woodlands of Barmah Forest...'

'All other sightings have been made along or within 10km of the Murray, Ovens and Goulburn Rivers.'

Martin O'Brien
Melbourne