Blue Bonnet parrots
Blue Bonnet Parrot
Sydney Trip June 2011
Yesterday I wrote about having a short stopover at the Malleefowl Rest Area on the road from Balranald to Mildura. We stopped to have a cuppa and afternoon tea in a patch of mallee scrub just off the highway.
While we were enjoying our break several Blue Bonnet parrots flew into a tree nearby and I was able to get some good photos of this colourful bird. At about 30cm in size this is one of our smaller parrots. While it is widespread in the mallee areas of Victoria, NSW and South Australia, it is generally not common anywhere. A small isolated population can also be found in SE Western Australia.
While I said that it is widespread in mallee habitats, it can also be found in several other habitats, including saltbush areas, grasslands, farmlands, mulga and acacias. I have yet to record this species on our home block but I have seen it within about 30 kilometres from our place.
Blue Bonnet Parrot
Blue Bonnet Parrot
Blue Bonnet Parrot
Red-rumped Parrots, Euston, NSW
Red-rumped Parrots, Euston, NSW
Sydney Trip June 2011
On the second day of our trip home from Sydney last June we detoured slightly from the main route on our way to Mildura. I wanted to drive through parts of the small river town of Euston which is between Mildura and Balranald. I can’t ever recall driving through this town, and I think we’ve always just detoured past the town on the main road through.
We drove slowly around a few streets and then found ourselves at the river frontage. On the lawns near the river a small flock of Red-rumped Parrots was feeding on the grass seeds. Without switching off the car I aimed the camera through the window and took a few shots of them.
This species is relatively common in my home town and district, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful at getting some good photos of them. While they are not brilliant, I am pleased to have taken some reasonable shots of this beautiful bird at last. Only the male has the bright red rump.
My next challenge with this species is to photograph a male sitting in full sunshine and facing me so that the bright yellow and green front shows clearly.
This post was updated on 4th February 2016.
Male Red-rumped Parrot, Euston, NSW
Red-rumped parrots and the morning paper
3 Comments »21st July, 2011; Category: Bush birds, Garden birds, Murray Bridge, Parrots and Lorikeets
Red-rumped parrot (male)
This morning I walked down our long driveway to collect the newspaper. I heard a twittering in the tree above me and I was delighted to see two Red-rumped Parrots. A male and female with the male perched in the early morning sunshine lighting up the beautiful colours.
This is a common and widespread species in our region, the lower Murray River district of South Australia. Despite being common in our area, we rarely have them visit our garden and five acre block. I find this both strange and disapppointing; strange that I can’t account for them not visiting, and disappointing because they are such beautiful birds.
Of course, I didn’t have my camera with me, and they didn’t hang around long enough for me to race inside, fire up the camera, and chase them down. You get that.
So… I’ve included in this post some photos I prepared earlier. I took these on a recent visit to Riverglades, a wetland over the other side of the Murray River from our home.
They are beautiful birds, especially the colourful male. The female is much duller.
Good birding.
Red-rumped parrot (male)
Red-rumped parrots (male on left, female on right)
Parrots eating our flowers
3 Comments »9th October, 2010; Category: Bird Behaviour, Garden birds, Murray Bridge, Parrots and Lorikeets, Plants
Mallee Ringneck parrot
Mallee Ringneck parrots are common around my home town of Murray Bridge in South Australia. Almost everyday we have a small number visiting our garden. In fact, I would regard them as a resident species because there are very few days when we don’t see or hear them.
They have taken a liking to the beautiful Eremophila plant shown in the photos on this post. The nectar in the flowers must be delightful to them. Of course, after they have visited each bush there is a carpet of petals on the ground under the bush.
Mallee Ringneck parrot
Mallee Ringneck parrot
Eclectus Parrots, Adelaide Zoo
Eclectus Parrot (female), Adelaide Zoo
The Eclectus Parrot of northern Cape York Peninsula in Queensland would have to be one of our most amazing birds here in Australia. Not only are they strikingly colourful as shown in the photos on this post, they are also rather unusual in the bird kingdom. The female is far more colourful than the male.
This species of bird I have yet to see in their natural environment. All the birds I have seen have been in aviaries or zoos. The photos on this page were taken in the walk through aviary at the Adelaide Zoo. In this aviary they are quite tame and therefore easy to photograph. I dare say that it will be a lot more challenging to get a good photo of one in the wild.
This species is also kept extensively in captivity, but it takes a very deep pocket to buy a breeding pair.
Eclectus Parrot (male), Adelaide Zoo