No need for any focus on a captive release programme Michael, the birds are
already doing that for themselves.
It's more a case of working out how to both find then interface with the
bird in the wild so you can work out what are the current limiting factors
and if it's possible to then make changes that would benefit the bird. This
is never going to happen without a funded medium to long term commitment,
probably the most difficult hurdle to get over at this stage I would
suggest.
Cheers Jeff.
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Michael Hunter
Sent: Friday, 8 June 2012 8:54 AM
To:
Subject: Night Parrot.
Hi All.
In a prolonged fit of enthusiasm, and time to devote to "Finding the
Night Parrot", including a trip to the Wolf Creek meteorite crater with a
like minded group of experienced birders after a supposed sighting there a
few years ago, I looked into the possibility of using dogs. The idea was to
spend a month or three driving along the margins of the Percival Lakes and
other lake systems, with the dogs quartering the extensive succulent fields
and shrubbery that straddle the lakes.
One of the problems with the usual hunting dogs was whether they
would be up to the conditions, eg heat and the terrain. Walton did not
mention whether his dog actively sought out and flushed the NPs, whether it
was just an accidental flush, or what breed of dog it was. Any
suggestions as to best breeds for the job anyone?
Otherwise, motion sensitive cameras are now reasonably inexpensive,
and and an expedition equipped with a bulk buy of say fifty or a hundred of
them, placed next to dams or along lakes across a wide area should
eventually turn up a NP or two. That strategy would best wait for the next
drought.
When and if I retire, our search for the NP is still on the agenda.
Lots of logistical problems though, one of which could be obtaining permits
from the traditional owners to search on their land.
Considering the interest and effort put into finding the
most-likely-extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the USA, the NP is certainly
still out there, and really warrants a serious search. Maybe we need
another (or the same) Dick Smith to get really into the idea. The
possibility of catching a pair of NPs and establishing a captive breeding
and release population in one of our zoos might appeal to the public at
large, and could be the basis for an appeal to support a serious expedition.
Cheers
Michael
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