Hi everyone
I thought I'd get in early before any more people have a go at me about
posting an Orange-bellied Parrot report.
Yes, I'm aware that Birdline Vic doesn't post reports of OBP - but of
course if you look at trip/site reports you can still see any info people
have submitted about OBP sightings.
I deliberated for a while before sending the report to Birding-Aus
yesterday. I wouldn't automatically post directions for finding an
endangered species. Here are some facts that I probably should have
included in my report:
I'd been at the site for about half an hour when another party of birders
turned up to have lunch there (it's quite a popular spot for lunch).
Another 15 minutes or so later I decided to head off, and that's when
someone pointed out 4 Neophema parrots flying in to the lagoon. The birds
soon landed in a bushy tree about 50m away. We watched them for about 30
minutes - the birds were feeding and preening all this time. As far as I
know the parrots stayed on in the tree after I left.
This is at one of the standard "go-to" places for OBP at the WTP. My guess
is that anyone looking for this species would spend some time here. There
is another place nearby where they have apparently been seen regularly but
the road is blocked off this year. I think access is only for the survey
groups, but I'm not sure.
The only pressure the group I was with put on the birds was that we looked
at them through scopes almost constantly for the half hour I stayed. I'd
have thought that if the birds were feeling bothered by our presence they
would have flown off as soon as they were aware of us.
I can't think of a visit I've made to WTP when I've been the only person at
this spot - as I said, it's one of the places people hope to see OBP, so
most people stop there. It's a place I like to visit winter or summer
because of the great variety of birds that are usually there. Occasionally
it turns up something special.
What I would hope is that instead of people getting bothered about
sightings being reported at already-known hotspots, they remind each other
to avoid walking through or around the lagoon or anywhere else the birds
might be.
I'm pleased to say that in my last 3 or 4 visits to this spot I haven't
seen any evidence of people walking in the wrong places.
The other thing that I'd encourage people to do is support recovery
programs financially if they are lucky enough to birds like these. Think of
it as giving something back to the birds you've seen.
Russell Woodford
Geelong
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