Kinky King-Parrots

View of four parrots. The one on the left is clearly a male; the one at the right, a female. On the feeder itself, the right-hand bird is another male Australian King-Parrot but what is the one on the left?
p.s. The photo also shows the view from our south verandah

One could wax lyrical about the bird but in simple terms it is probably an Australian King-Parrot Alisterus scapularis that isn’t quite an Australian King-Parrot.

Yesterday, following a day at work, Fay and I found ourselves relaxing on the east verandah, enjoying a glass of the 2007 Thompson Estate Andrea Reserve cabernet merlot [from the, Margaret River, Western Australia], listening to a little Dvorak [Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op. 95]. We were not particularly birding although from the settee on this verandah we could look across to the orchard and what we refer to as the “Middle Compound.” When not out in the field, our binoculars are usually to be found on the settee, along with my camera [a simple Sony 100 with a 70-300mm telephoto lens almost permanently attached].

The Crested Pigeons Ocyphaps lophotes and Bar-shouldered Doves Geopelia humeralis were quietly feeding from the grain I had scattered in the Middle Compound for the four young cockerels we’re rearing. A female Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca was perched in a tree at the further end of the orchard while a pair of Galahs Eolophus roseicappilus were busily trying to shove more food down their juvenile’s throat to shut it up; young begging galahs can make enough noise to awaken the dead.

There was a pair of Australian King-Parrots at the south verandah feeder. The now almost traditional noisy but harmless kerfuffle between the parrots and the more aggressive Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus had passed; the latter had ousted the gentler King-Parrots but had then abandoned the sunflower seeds to re-indulge in more favoured fodder on the south feeder.

I happened to look up as from the corner of my eye [albeit diabetes having now reduced the functioning of that eye to 60%] I noted another King-Parrot alight on the terracotta feeder. With its back turned to me I casually called it a female.

Only it wasn’t. Or rather, it didn’t quite fit the complete bill for an Australian King-Parrot.

Note the shade of green and the extent of the red underbelly. All wrong for an Australian King-Parrot.






The green was wrong, too light, more in line with the Red-winged Parrot Aporosmictus erythropterus that are occasional visitors to the property. Fay, an artist with a far better eye that I have, thinks even that it not quite on the mark; the green of this bird was a little paler than even Red-winged Parrot green.

When the new arrival came alongside the male at the south verandah terracotta feeder their differences in size became immediately obvious. The male Australian King-Parrot clearly exceeded 40cm in length, as per the field guides and, perhaps more importantly, in line with the description proffered by Higgins [Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds, Vol. 4, 1999]. The interloper, if such it be, was barely 30cm from bill tip to the end of its tail.

Again, note the paleness of the green and the extent of the red under the belly. The flush of red at the upper breast suggests this is approaching a male but at what developmental stage?





Over the years, both prior to moving here to Nanango and certainly since taking up residence in Allen Road, Fay and I have observed an incalculable number of Australian King-Parrot specimens; adult males and adult females together with countless juveniles in varying degrees of development. Yet none has ever matched this bird in size or colouration.

We considered the possibility of it being a slightly older bird, perhaps a first immature male or female. Higgins [1999] separates the males at this stage from their younger counterparts by the “small scattered orange-red patches on breast, throat and sometimes head.” First immature females are more difficult, their plumage being much as adult females but retaining juvenile remiges and rectrices.

However, at this stage in their development, the red on the male’s breast would be more clearly demarcated, approaching its adult stage; its bill would be acquiring orange or red on the upper mandible with a dark grey tip. The equivalent female would have a brown upper mandible.

While it would appear that Fay and I were almost indisputably looking at an Australian King-Parrot, anomalies remain unanswered. The intruder did not behave like a youngster and was certainly self-feeding. The differences in size remain indisputable.

In the end it flew off with one of the two adult males on the verandah.

So, the question is, what do we have here? Is it no more than an aberrant Australian King-Parrot or perhaps an anomalous Red-winged Parrot. Or is it simply a hybrid between the two?

The entire jizz appears to be wrong for Australian King-Parrot but what else can it be? A hybrid? Possibly a cross between Australian King-Parrot and Red-winged Parrot?

AVIAN TRICKSTERS

Image by Keith & Lindsay Fisher @ Kingfisher Park.

I have no commercial interest and therefore can thoroughly recommend Kingfisher Park as a top birding spot.



Birds can be like that. Just as you think you have fathomed the patterns and behavioural traits of your local patch species, they suddenly exhibit a totally new and unexpected ploy to leave you with egg on your face.

Take the Eastern [Australian] Koel Eudynamys orientalis. In a previous post, “The Demise of the Rollers” I intimated that besides the premature departure of the Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis, the Eastern Koel had also, seemingly, gone from Allen Road.

Fay and I were comfortable with that. Like the Dollarbird, the Eastern Koel has been known to stay around our property until early March [7th in 2002, 9th in 2010]. We assigned their early departure in 2011 to similar reasons as those expounded for the early exodus of the Rollers.

Imagine therefore our surprise, and perhaps even a little chagrin when, this morning [Sunday 13], we heard the distinctive call of the Eastern Koel. It was a male and it was clearly coming from within our property!

Had it gone only to return a little later? Had it actually remained on the property but simply stayed quiet for the past few days? Given that at one stage we had as many as three separate pairs swooping around, was their disappearance timed in unison, triggered by some unwritten, to human senses, unfathomable clue, or a series of pointers? Have all three males returned with only one of the males calling this morning? Have the females also returned but choose to stay silent?

This trick is beyond our ken.

The Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala
is another avian trickster who can punch significant dents in your ornithological ego.

Fay and I have long since ceased to ponder about this honeyeater being at the verandah feeder where we scatter a small handful of sunflower seeds to encourage the Australian King-Parrots Alisterus scapularis. We have come to accept that, on seemingly random occasions, if one of the cats dares to attempt a little early morning sunbathing on the east verandah, one, more often several, Noisy Miners will suddenly appear on the handrail to harass them until they seek shelter back indoors or on one of the other verandahs.

We take a pride in informing our non-birding neighbours, and overseas birding and non-birding contacts, that the Noisy Miner is renowned for its alarm calls. It has two; a general purpose alarm [e.g. “Watch out, ham-fisted Homo sapien on the prowl”] and its raptor-specific early warning system. Its latter call has often alerted us to the presence of a raptor nearing the property; we down tools, grab binoculars and race out to vantages points to glimpse the approaching bird of prey.

Little Eagle
Image from ozanimals.com

Why then did this morning’s Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides appear over the vegetable garden unannounced and unheralded by a chorus of clamouring Noisy Miners?

It was only by the merest chance that we came to see this magnificent raptor; Fay was sorting out the young chicks in their cage under the house, I was repairing the back steps and left to find a more appropriate spanner. I have no idea why I should, at that point, have turned and looked up towards the vegetable garden but there it was, gliding in from the west.

As I called out to Fay the bird could have been only a few metres above our heads, making identification unquestionable. As it passed by only a solitary Pied Currawong Strepera graculina seemed to give any vocal indication of the raptor’s presence. The eagle flew on to the northwest and disappeared over treetops.

To make matters even more puzzling, when the Little Eagle returned to view some time later, again there was no warning call from the Noisy Miners.

Clearly, Fay and I will have to modify the details we give to non-birding neighbours and even to birding overseas contacts when discussing the patterns and behaviours of these particular avian tricksters.

The Demise of the Rollers

Dollarbird
Image available at species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eurystomus_orientalis


The Dollarbirds Eurystomus orientalis appear to have gone. They came, they courted [entertained] in mid-air aerobatic displays, they nested, fledged young and have now gone on to fresher pastures. We expect them to return around October.

That, I suppose, is one advantage of having your own Backyard or Local Patch List, eventually you become quite familiar with those species that are either resident throughout the year or are regular seasonal visitors. At Allen Road the Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguinea [a kingfisher], Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus, Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala and Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis are typical of species slotting comfortably into the former category. Emblematic of our summer migrants are the Scared Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus, Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae and of course the Dollarbird.

It can go further. If one keeps records than extend beyond the simple tick [indicating that the species has, at some time or other, put in an appearance in your designated local area] it becomes possible to make predictions on expected times of migrant arrivals/expected times of migrant departures.

As a point of interest, the February departure of the Dollarbird is a little early. It has in past years hung around until early March; 7 March [2010] being the latest on record. My best guess for this year’s premature exodus would be the inclement climatic conditions experienced in this area, as indeed further afield, from before Christmas 2010 until after the new year [2011]. Heavy rains and strong winds may well have played havoc with Roller family planning.

We appear to have now also lost our patch Koels but they remain extant in the immediate general area; we heard a male this morning along nearby Berlin Road [fuller report shortly to appear on http://www.birdingsouthburnett.blogspot/].

Our Allen Road records, dating back to 2001, now cover a period of extended drought as well as the recent deluge. We can begin to detect patterns and trends, as we convert old handwritten entries into the recently acquired Bluebird Technology’s Bird Journal [Martin Yapp of Blurred Birding fame has written a fairly comprehensive report on the program ].

Not that all trends need a computer program to become obvious. Back in 2001 the most common of the honeyeaters was undoubtedly the Yellow-faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops. Its near relative, the Blue-faced Honeyeater featured only on occasional visits. Nowadays those roles have reversed.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Image available from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-faced-...



Similarly, at one time the Pied Currawong Strepera graculina was among the earliest and most vociferous of our local birds. Now its appearances are far and few between, although on occasions [as per the photograph in my previous blog] it does still put in a rare encore.

BLOG VISITORS

I remain impressed.

65 visitors from six different countries have now at least briefly perused this simple blog. I am well aware that other blog sites attract even larger audiences but to this humble, and often hesitant blogger, the volume of passing traffic comes as a rather pleasant surprise. And the site is comparatively new!

I can understand the 24 Australian visitors. Australian birding blogs appear to be far and few between. At least, several GOOGLE searches, using a wide variety of keywords, sheds only limited light on potential sites. Many birders, myself included, enjoy sharing birding experiences with other kindred spirits and while birding with a group is often the more direct solution, it is not always possible to be part of a birding crowd. Blogs provide one possible alternative. We may not be able to join others physically but we can at least share birding experiences and thoughts online. Thus, birders of that ilk tend to gravitate towards blog sites.

To some extent I can also understand the seven U.K. visitors. As part of the preparation for our recent [September 2010] trip to the Old Dart I made my first venture into Bloggersphere with Staffordshire Stray. That site attracted a reasonable number of British visitors, together with a fair smattering of “overseas” guests. Perhaps a number of the 173 U.K. visitors, and others, have filtered across to both the Allen Road and South Burnett blogs.

Similarly, the five visitors from the USA could be simple transfers from the 24 that visited the original Staffordshire Stray blog. On the other hand, they could be totally new viewers.

What I find most amazing are the 27 Russian visitors. To the best of my knowledge I have no birding contacts from the Russian Federation, indeed, given the Polish surname, I have no birding contacts in Poland either [although I note a Polish visitor to my Staffordshire Stray blog].

I wonder about the one German visitor. Is this the same birder who visited the Staffordshire Stray blog or is it a completely new convert to my Allen Road ramblings?

And of course there is now a visitor from India. Oddly enough, Fay and I have included India on our shortlist for possible birding venues in 2012. Is this a coincidence, or an fortuitous omen?

Each and every one of you is more than welcome to my Allen Road blog, as you are to my South Burnett and Staffordshire Stray blogs, although now that Fay and I are back in Australia the latter will, by force, be a little thin in content –until we plan our next U.K. sojourn and, with family and friends still domicile there, I can’t see a time when we won’t plan a future return.

Enough already! If Dreamtime “dolphin” personalities revel in lists, the Slav in my veins wallows in garrulousness.

The accompanying photograph of a Pied Currawong Strepera graculina,
nestled on the lower newel of our front steps, was actually part of the original point of this blog but the sight of all those flags rather waylaid me. Keep reading, I’ll reurn to this awesome yellow-eyed Artamidid anon.

PS In the space of time it has taken for me to create this blog, a further five visitors have browsed here. 70 and counting!

On Recording the first Noisy Friarbird

Photograph by Stuart Smyth
available at http://pt.treknature.com/gallery/photo123389.htm

Odd thing the memory. Had I been asked I would have assured listeners that among the very first birds Fay and I recorded at Allen Road was the Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus, a member of the honeyeater brigade. Yes, there was also Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis but assuredly the noisier of the pair was there on that first day [13 April 2001].

It wasn’t.

That’s one of the advantages of keeping meticulous records. I’m a Dreamtine “dolphin” personality and dolphins revel in the keeping of lists. I am an almost pedantic keeper of records. Our bird lists go back to that first day in 2001 and on every visit, until we finally settled here in 2005, we recorded every bird seen and/or heard on or flying over the property on the occasion of every visit. We extended that to the entire 2km length of the street and Des’s 67ha paddock which abuts onto the southern boundary.

The simple fact is that 13 April 2001 was a quick inspection; one of several properties we had looked over that weekend. Only three species were actually recorded that day: the Little Friarbird, officially the first bird on our Backyard List, followed by Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax and the Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala, another of Australia’s many honeyeaters.

I knew there was a “noisy” something or other among the early bag.

Nor did we record Noisy Friarbird on our second visit to the property [21 April 2001]. The Backyard List expanded to 17 species but Noisy Friarbird was not among them:

By the end of May 2001 [covering our first four visits] the tally stood at 34 species. It included some real gems: Little Woodswallow Artamus minor, .Speckled Warbler Chthonicola sagittatus, and Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata but it did not include Noisy Friarbird.

At the end of August 2001 the Backyard List had swelled to 67 species. Among them we could count further gems such as Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus, Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta, Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, Little Eagle Aquila morphnoides, both the Yellow-tailed and Glossy Black-Cockatoos Calyptorhynchus funereus and Calyptorhynchus lathami respectively and the mega Australian Owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatus.

In fact our first Allen Road Backyard List Noisy Friarbird was not recorded until 2 September 2001, on the 33rd day of records.

They continue to visit each year and one day Fay and I will make the effort to search for their nesting sites which must be somewhere on the property.

And speaking of nests, it is pleasing to record that the Magpie-larks Grallina cyanoleuca have successfully fledged their second brood of two youngsters. They had originally fledged two on their first attempt, failed with their second nest [placing it in the most absurdly exposed site imaginable] and now have added a further duo of Magpie-larks to the world.

This year the Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus moved from the termite mound on the edge of the drive to one on the southern edge of the property, a little beyond the dam. The Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii have moved from their favoured orchard haunt to take up nesting residence behind the vegetable garden. The Apostlebirds Struthidea cinerea, Crested Pigeons Ocyphaps lophotes and Bar-shouldered Doves Geopelia humeralis have continued to thrive and nest on the property. The young Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus is calling even as I tap out these few words and we have noted a number of “green-faced” Blue-faced Honeyeaters Entomyzon cyanotis at the two main feeders.

The Torresian Crows Corvus orru continue to stuff food down the throat of their clamourous youngster while the White-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos appear to present with a little more decorum when feeding their young.

And while there are sadly no old, hollowed, trees on our property, the Galahs Eolophus roseicapilla, Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus and Australian King-Parrots Alisterus scapularis [all hollow nesters] do at least continue to bring their juveniles to the Allen Road Avian Café Bar.

Wetter, Wilder & Whipbirds

Image from users.tellurian.com/.../thunderstorms.html

In my blog of 9 January I used the title “Wet & Wild” in which I briefly described climatic conditions in my part of Queensland. Little was I to guess that it was no more than a gentle prelude to a rather wetter and wilder patch.

As I said, on Sunday 9 January the skies opened up and poured 102.5mm of torrential rain over us in the space of a few hours. It broke all previous rainfall records for the property. The place was saturated. Water was streaming towards the house. I undressed to my underpants [even on 7½ acres of mostly woodland modesty reigns] and started to madly build higher “whoaboys’ [ridges to divert water] and excavated ditches to drain away even more water. I was saturated.

It seemed to do the trick; water was being diverted around the house.

Too much water for the drains.

The following night [Monday 10 January] we experienced a severe thunderstorm, with associated lightning. One clap of thunder, directly overhead, shook the entire [wooden] house. The rain gauge registered 134mm of water.

For those accustomed to thinking of rain in terms of inches, I’ll leave you to mull over these figures – 236.5mm of rain in under 24 hours. 25mm to the inch.

The defences held. More or less. On further inspection we discovered that some of the water being diverted around the side of the house was gathering in a hollow [created by the plumber when connecting the house to the septic system]. A pool had collected and water had seeped under the bottom plank to dampen that corner of the concrete foundation slab. No damage. We only keep the spare ‘fridge there.

And that has been the last of the rain. Life is gradually returning to normal. This morning [Monday 17 January] I even travelled to Blackbutt [where I teach] and managed to pick up fresh milk.

And of course there is a silver lining to every dark cloud.

Not only has the dam more or less doubled in size [see picture in previous blog]but a pair of Eastern Whipbirds appear to have taken up residence on the property. The species is not new to the Backyard List; we first recorded it here back on 10 June 2001. It is not however a common bird here, or anywhere else along Allen Road for that matter.

Image from en.wikipedia.org

We became aware of its presence on Monday 10 January during our early morning walk down [west] Allen Road. It was calling from somewhere off to the north.

On Tuesday 11 January we heard the sharp whipcrack of the male coming from somewhere along the western boundary, clearly within our fenceline. We sat up. We looked at each other and listened intently. The whipcrack had moved to the south west, soft but unmistakeable. It finally seemed to settle south of the house BUT not too far away.

As is all too often the case in such instances, by the time we had dressed and gone looking for the critter it had decided that silence was the better part of valour. We did manage the briefest glimpse of the bird as it flitted behind some undergrowth and Fay eventually viewed him flying across to the orchard.

On Wednesday12 January not only did we hear the whipcrack of the male but it was immediately followed by the “choo choo” of the female. We had a pair!

The following morning the male was calling as early as 0444 hours but we could get no further glimpses of him. Then disaster struck. There was no sign of the Eastern Whipbird on Friday [14 January], not so much as a squeak. Had the pair moved out?

No. On Saturday he was cracking his whip as early as 0446 hours and has continued to crack his whip, with occasional responses from the female, ever since. That makes it a week since we first noted them on the property.

It would be exciting to think they have come to stay at least a while longer.

Wet & Wild

Our front drive gradually succumbing to the relentless rain.

Allen Road is wet.

Well, actually, that could be construed as a blatant understatement. Allen Road is more or less saturated. So much rain has fallen over the past few weeks –culminating in recent deluges- that the land cannot take any more so consequently the water now lies on the surface creating potential hazards for the unsuspecting. To make matters worse, a couple of dams, both on the north side of the road, have burst their banks and the ensuing overflows have run into the totally inadequate roadside ditch. Mud and an assortment of gravel and cinder chips have spewed out into the road.

Over the past few days we have noted at least three vehicles bogged in their owners’ driveways. Other driveways are clearly unusable.

Yesterday [Sunday 09 January 2011] alone our rain gauge registered 102.5mm and at times that came down in furious bucketfuls.

In a number of instances the excess rain has caused more than simple inconvenience. I bogged the new Subaru Forester [all-wheel drive] on Friday; yesterday we managed to bog Fay’s Toyota [4-wheel drive]. We are effectively isolated on Allen Road. The Subaru is useable but requires urgent work to re-balance the wheels. Fay’s vehicle will have to remain stuck until the weather eases up a little.

Even with vehicles, we remain prisoners at the moment. From 63 Allen Road we have two options in reaching the township of Nanango. At the front gate we can turn right to the T-junction with the Nanango-Maidenwell Road, bear left to the T-junction with the D’Aguilar Highway and reach town along this route. Only the bridge into town has the infuriating habit of going under water and the road is blocked off. Back at our front gate we can bear left to the T-junction with Andrews Road which eventually sweeps into Major Road. At its T-junction with the Nanango-Brooklands Road we could turn right and follow that road through to town. Only the Nanango-Brooklands Road has been closed off [road damage ahead]. It is possible to ignore the “Road Closed” signs but it could entail a $300 fine and negates your insurance in the event of an accident.

We’ve found ourselves marooned on two occasions in the past week.

Birding is restricted. We watch from the three verandahs [north, east and south] and occasionally, in between rain squalls, stroll down to inspect the dam, birding as we go. It’s limited. It’s frustrating.


Not that birding is altogether impossible. The feeders help – and please don’t write to tell us we shouldn’t be feeding wild birds, a la BA advice. We know. We tend to disagree with BA on this point. Put it down to the Pommie in our souls.

We have a theory. More birds foregather at a feeder following, or indeed during, heavy rain periods. Our Allen Road records go back to April 2001 and clearly show that on average we attract a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus on most occasions. During average rain spells the numbers can increase to four, occasionally as high as six. Over the past fortnight we have recorded up to 20, spread out across three feeders.

.
The Galahs Eolophus roseicapillus have followed a similar pattern, from humble showings of fewer than half a dozen specimens at any one feeding session to recent highs of 17 and 19.

Some species appear to have remained numerically stable, getting on with their lives.. The Torresian Crows Curvus orru are still feeding their squawking youngster. Until a few days ago the Australian Magpies Cracticus tibicen had two juveniles to feed; we assume they have now fledged and gone out into the world to seek their own fortunes. The Magpie-larks Grallina cyanoleuca, having successfully fledged one brood, lost a second nest in a too-conspicuous setting, appear to have been successful with their third nest; we continue to observe nest duty changeovers.

The male Crested Pigeons Ocyphaps lophotes continue to strut their egos, fan their tails and generally attempt to convince females of the species that they would make potent mates, provide top offspring in return for the energy expended in the copulation. The Grey-crowned Babblers Pomatostomus temporalis simply practice nest-building, seemingly on any pretext.

The obverse side of the rainy coin is, of course, that the dam is fuller than we have ever known it. It has almost doubled in size since 2001.



It’s wet, it’s muddy and slippery underfoot but life goes on. All the very best to everyone [non-borders as well as birders] during 2011. Happy New Year.