The Swift Parrots
On Saturday 1st May there were some Swift Parrots in town. They had been here for about a week or maybe a bit longer and were a rare bird from Tasmania. The Swift Parrots feed on the Eucalypt flowers and lerps and breed in Tasmania but are now critically endangered because of habitat loss through land clearing and the Sugar Glider. They nest in hollows of very old trees which are in decline. The Sugar gliders are not endemic to Tasmania and were introduced there in the early 20th Century. They attack and eat the female parrots sitting on eggs and also eat the eggs. The Swift Parrot is the fastest parrot in Australia, hence the name, and they move into mainland Australia during Autumn and winter travelling up to northern New South Wales and Queensland to feed. Stuart Harris, Andrew Corkery and I visited Callum Brae nature reserve in Canberra to look for the parrots reported to be in the area. We were not disappointed and eventually saw about 60 birds flying through the reserve and about 20 in some trees. There are only about 2000 or less birds left and so it was a privilege to see them in the wild. The photos I got aren’t good enough for my gallery but I hope you enjoy them in this blog.
