Interestingly though, Chris - Colin Trainor pointed us to a collection of
old newspaper articles accessible through Trove:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=Night+Parrot
It is clear that in the articles around 1935 there was already discussion
amongst the experts that the parrots may be extinct. Even in the oldest
articles, it would appear to me that the birds were by no means common. It
could be that the birds never existed in large numbers. Perhaps the reason
that they were seen more in the early days is that when people camped in the
spinifex country, they really bush camped - sleeping in swags and traveling
on horseback - not in tents and vehicle.
Paul Dodd
Docklands, Victoria
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Chris Lloyd
Sent: Monday, 22 July 2013 6:29 PM
To:
Subject: Night Parrots of the past
While looking for something else I came across this article in the Sydney
Morning Herald in 26th January 1935.
"But the cry of the powerful owl which the bushland knows as the screecher,
is the voice of a nightmare Its loud weird screeches break abruptly from the
dense timber often rising to an alarming ear splitting shriek. Far inland
the peculiar whistling call of the myrlumbing or night parrot startles the
camper and has caused many a drovers mob to break away in sudden panic."
Leaving aside the possible mis-identification of the Barking Owl, the
implication is that Night Parrots may have been more common once. or
mis-identified as well.
Chris Lloyd
wiyanga.com.au
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