Tim,
I am surprised that you are considering still going to Alice Springs given
what the Age (accurately) reported. As far as I am aware, you cannot enter
any of the aboriginal lands where the parrots have been reported. I spoke
to a ranger in the Watarrka National Park yesterday, and asked if there had
been any sightings in the northwest of the park, the only northern area
accessible by road. He said no, and that he himself had been there last week
and had not seen any Princess Parrots
Dr John Penhallurick
86 Bingley Cres
Fraser A.C.T. 2615
Australia
email:
Phone: Home (612) 62585428
Mobile:0408585426
Please visit my website: http://www.worldbirdinfo.net
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Tim Dolby
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 3:08 PM
To:
Subject: Princess Parrot in the News
Hi all,
Also FYI see
http://www.theage.com.au/national/council-bars-birdwatchers-20100817-128jx.h
tml
I'm heading to Alice Springs on the weekend of August 28.
Cheers,
Tim Dolby
Council Bars Birdwatchers
Lindsay Murdoch
The Age, August 18, 2010
BIRDWATCHERS have been prevented from travelling into the desert west of
Alice Springs to see a freak explosion of the princess parrot, one of
Australia's rarest, most enigmatic and elegant birds.
The Central Land Council, which represents Aboriginal groups, has refused to
issue travel permits to dozens of birdwatchers who travelled to Alice
Springs after the birds were discovered near Mount Winter in the eastern
Gibson Desert late last month.
About eight other groups of birdwatchers, known as ''twitchers'', are
believed to have gone to the area without permits and face possible
convictions and fines of up to $1000 for illegally entering Aboriginal land.
After a bumper season in central Australia, the population of the parrots
exploded in what birdwatchers say is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The nomadic parrots, expected to mysteriously disappear as they arrived,
were commonly seen around Alice Springs 50 years ago but their numbers have
declined dramatically, possibly as a result of collection for the pet trade
and the increased numbers of fires.
The long, slender birds with mostly green plumage, pink throat, bluish crown
and bright green shoulders are classified as vulnerable because they are at
risk of extinction in the wild.
Tasmanian couple Ian and Pat May discovered the parrots in an isolated area
several hundred kilometres west of Alice Springs. Their announcement excited
birdwatching enthusiasts across the country.
The Central Land Council, pointing to the fragility of the area's
environment, warned that ''visitors blindly walking around sacred sites and
possibly accidentally damaging them can cause great offence and hurt to
traditional owners''.
The council said it was open to discussing a ''manageable process'' for
birdwatchers to enter the area but no talks had taken place.
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