While I was sorting out my moth traps and photographing a couple of the more interesting "first for the year" moths I heard a loud, unusual but some how distantly familiar sound. When I went out side a fairly large longish tailed parrot flipped out of the Silver Birch tree in the side garden and disappeared. I hadn't identified it and though that that would be the last I saw of it.
Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)A couple of hours later Pam asked me what the noise in the garden was and I immediately recognised the call of the parrot. It was in a different tree and this time stayed there while we looked and photographed it. I know the winds have been quite strong from the south east but I hadn't expected an Australian visitor. It's three and a half years and 10,500 miles since I last saw a Crimson Rosella and the two photos bear an uncanny resemblance, although today's one doesn't feature a Gum (Eucalyptus) Tree.
This one was taken Near Melbourne, at Grant's Picnic site in Sherbrooke Forest, 14/10/2007. I must admit that I was not aware that Rosellas are often kept in captivity, certainly in Australia they become very tame at picnic sites and other place where they can benefit from human activity.
4 comments:
They are entertaining birds, aren't they? The owner of the pub where we lived in the UK kept various Australian parrots. I could hear them from the platform when catching the train for work. It was a bit of a mind bender. (BTW, your Australian one isn't sitting in a gum tree.)
No, it;s not a gum tree, but a bit of poetic licence, can you ID the tree for me?
I saw one by the NT car park and Steve Ray saw one (maybe two) by the lighthouse - wouldn't it be great if they bred :-(
Perhaps they could take on the parakeets.
No it wouldn't!!
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