Recently I've been travelling west of Alice Springs. There is a wonderful stretch of road called the Namatjira-Kintore Link Road. It is a dirt road that runs for about 44 kms, from the Glen Helen Road turnoff to the T intersection where you can go left to Haasts Bluff or right to Papunya. The scenery is dominated by the Haasts Bluff range, and the countryside is thick with spinifex grasses, mulga trees, as well as ghost gums, rocky hills and the occasional creek crossing (that are dry almost all of the time.
In the past I have found Bourkes Parrots fairly easy to find on this stretch of road in a particular spot. Generally I can stop the car, walk into a mulga patch, stand and listen for a few minutes and I can hear their calls. At the moment though, they have moved into an area that is a bit higher and can be easily spotted during the day feeding on the side of the road. There are many other species, but when I saw 40 of the Bourkes Parrots, I didn't seem to notice the other birds.
The Mulga Parrots are in the same vicinity and occasionally I have seen them feeding next to Bourkes and Budgerigars. Quite a colourful (and noisy) mix.
The Budgerigars are flocking more and more as each day passes. It is a real buzz to hear even a small flock of 50 birds whizz past. On one day recently I estimated about 500, it was early and they seem to get together early in the morning then spread out into smaller groups during the day, presumably to re-congregate in the evenings. The flashes of vibrant green are a fairly common occurrence at the moment as the Budgerigars burst from roadside feeding.
Even more recent rains to follow up last month's rainfall promises the Boom Time to continue for a while yet.
In the past I have found Bourkes Parrots fairly easy to find on this stretch of road in a particular spot. Generally I can stop the car, walk into a mulga patch, stand and listen for a few minutes and I can hear their calls. At the moment though, they have moved into an area that is a bit higher and can be easily spotted during the day feeding on the side of the road. There are many other species, but when I saw 40 of the Bourkes Parrots, I didn't seem to notice the other birds.
The Mulga Parrots are in the same vicinity and occasionally I have seen them feeding next to Bourkes and Budgerigars. Quite a colourful (and noisy) mix.
The Budgerigars are flocking more and more as each day passes. It is a real buzz to hear even a small flock of 50 birds whizz past. On one day recently I estimated about 500, it was early and they seem to get together early in the morning then spread out into smaller groups during the day, presumably to re-congregate in the evenings. The flashes of vibrant green are a fairly common occurrence at the moment as the Budgerigars burst from roadside feeding.
Even more recent rains to follow up last month's rainfall promises the Boom Time to continue for a while yet.
Bourkes Parrot
Mulga Parrots
Budgerigars
We really do live in a land of parrots!
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