Hi Mark,
Golden-backed Honeyeater is the northern subspecies of Black-chinned
Honeyeater. A much prettier bird than their southern brothers.
Regards,
Chris
On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 12:34 PM, Stanley, Mark M <
> wrote:
>
> Fantastic post on the Princess Parrot observations. But what is a
> "Golden-backed Honeyeater" - it does not appear on the Christidis and
> Boles Checklist. Is it a form of White-naped Honeyeater?
>
> Mark Stanley
>
>
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:36:40 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Jon King <>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Princess Parrots near Jupiter Well
> To: Birding-Aus <>
> Cc:
> Message-ID: <>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>
> We have just returned from a superb week-plus in the Jupiter Well area
> along the Gary Junction Highway in WA, where we found the incomparable
> Princess Parrot in two different areas. Having tried along the Canning
> Stock Route from Billiluna to Kunawarritji in the first week of May, and
> Jupiter Well for three days from 6th-9th May, dipping in both areas, we
> felt we had probably finally earned it!
>
> The dunes were very different in late June versus early May, with lots
> of flowering and loads of good birds that had not been present in the
> area in May, including many Pied, Black, White-fronted, and other
> honeyeaters, and hundreds of Budgies everwhere, with many prospecting
> and defending apparent nest sites. We had Golden-backed Honeyeater
> possibly well outside normal range, and bizarrely a flock of Black Swans
> flying WSW one morning (there is probably no habitat for the latter
> within a 500km radius of Jupiter Well).
>
> After searching for a full day on 25th June (when we had some rain) we
> finally found some parrots on the morning of 26th, 2.7km NNE of Jupiter
> Well, after Jon had first heard one several hundred metres north of the
> dune top we were on. We watched 6-8 for several minutes near 0930, then
> saw where they went to day roost. We left them alone, returning at 1500,
> just in time for them to break roost, where they accumulated in another
> Sand Dune Bloodwood. We had scope views here down to 20m for nearly
> half-an-hour of a flock of 12, even getting some reasonable digiscopes.
> They shot off strongly to the E at 1609. All these observation were
> within a short radius of 22 51 12.5 S, 126 36 17.9 E.
>
> In the same area on the morning of the 27th we had at least three
> parrots for a few minutes. Their footprints were very obvious on the
> dune tops, and we were able to identify the grass species they were
> eating. However, searching this same area on 28th and 29th, we saw no
> more.
>
> On the drive in from Alice, we had passed through some dune areas
> 40-60km E of Jupiter Well that we thought (in our relative ignorance at
> the time) looked potentially good for parrots. Reluctantly leaving the
> great birding at Jupiter Well, we stopped in this area on the way out.
> It was even more packed full of nomadic birds, honeyeaters, Budgies,
> etc.
>
> Incredibly, at 0715 on the morning of 30th June we found a flock of
> eight Princess Parrots some 44km E of Jupiter Well. Watching them on and
> off for nearly half-an-hour feeding in several shrubs (later
> identified), the flock swelled to 21 by 0746, but then disappeared to
> the south, and could not be refound that morning despite extensive
> searching. We returned to the same area in the late afternoon, and had a
> pair fly strongly overhead going SE at 1611, but saw no more. We
> searched the same area the following morning, and a few kms to the east,
> but with no more sightings. All of these observations we in the area of
> 22 45 37.9 S, 126 58 11.6 E.
>
> Australia is a land full of great parrots, but Princess Parrot is truly
> stunning and is arguably the best. It is very well worth the effort
> involved in seeing it. It is enhanced, if possible, by the great habitat
> in which it occurs, and this is even better when it is flowering and
> packed full of great nomadic birds.
>
> Many thanks to Janet Morris (of North West Safaris) who originally told
> me of her sightings at Jupiter in late April 2008, Don Hadden for his
> 2008 update from there and Well 44 on the CSR, and Merilyn Browne for
> her more recent observation from Jupiter Well.
>
> Cheers, Jon and Anne King.
>
>
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