Swift Parrot Surveys - Part 1

Last weekend we were having some very cold, rainy, wintery weather - a good time to catch up on blog posts!

And as well as cold, rainy weather, winter also brings us Swift Parrots! Each year they migrate from Tasmania to spend the colder months on the mainland with us. And like many birders I like to try to catch up with the Swifties at least once each year while they are here. Back in April I had my first (very brief and unsatisfying) sighting of four in flight at Jells Park.

Then in May I volunteered for the first of the biannual Swift Parrot surveys. My allocated area was Yarra Bend Park where as far as I know Swift Parrots haven't been sighted in recent years (or ever?) and there are no records of them there on eBird at all.

But that's ok! Yarra Bend Park is in my 5MR! And there are flying foxes!

the first stop

I started at Bellbird Picnic Area where the Grey-headed Flying Fox colony is. Checking down by the river, I found a Pacific Black Duck and some Australian Wood Ducks and the first of many flying foxes.

Then I headed up the path to the observation platform where there was nice new signage with lots of bat facts.

cute pic!

There were also Little Ravens, a Tawny Frogmouth and a pair of Eastern Rosellas. But no Swift Parrots.

the Tawny

Further along the river the trees were full of the bats.

for example

*snooze*

But they don't all just sleep soundly like this one - there's lots squabbling and chatting and the odd one flying from one spot to another, which starts up a whole lot more commotion. I made a recording:





Many also seemed to be enjoying the sun which would have just been making it over the ridge after a chilly Autumn morning by the river.

synchronised sun-baking

now you see me

now you don't

I was getting too distracted by all the bat antics and the noise was not going to help me hear any Swift Parrots so I went back to have a look around the picnic area. Still no Swifties.

When I stopped to have a snack before leaving I met this little frenemy.

an Australian Magpie - they know what picnic tables are about

So no Swift Parrots at the first stop but Yarra Bend Park is a big area and the next day I returned to explore some more.

I started at the area around the Studley Boathouse where I was also hoping I'd bump into some Scarlet Robins like I did last year. (They had been reported in Yarra Bend Park again before my visit but no details as to where exactly.) From the carpark I headed up towards where I'd seen the robins last time, and crossed the Boulevard where I came across lots freshly chewed gumnuts on the path.

a good hint to look up

Way up in the tree above there were two dark shapes.

Gang Gangs!

Luckily I found some others a bit lower down and all up counted about 8 of them - always a nice sighting this close to the city, and in my 5MR.

still a bit high up for a decent photo in the overcast light

These Gangs Gangs turned out to be one of 8 parrot species I recorded at this site though none of them were Swifties.

Red-Rumped are pretty common here

there were also a few Australian King Parrots

and this Sulphur-crested Cockatoo sat quietly for a bit, but then flew off screeching like a maniac

Another one of the parrots I saw were some Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flying over the golf course on the other side of the river. Super excited to see them and be able to add them to the 5MR year list!

Next I went to have a look at some of the areas of Yarra Bend Park I hadn't ever birded before, still hoping for Swift Parrots and those Scarlet Robins. I'd wanted to have a look at Galatea Point but found the gate to the path locked. So I just continued along the road where it is closed to traffic and then followed some narrow tracks by the river near Dights Falls.

the "falls" are actually an old weir and some rapids

Next stop was Andrews Reserve, which didn't seem very promising at first with open parkland and mostly bare exotic trees.

looking at this picture now I realise how dry it was 

But following a path by the river I was back into a bit of bushland.

this seemed to have more birdy potential

There were 3 Little Black Cormorants in the river and lots more Red-rumped Parrots but not too many birds in this spot, so after a while I headed back to the car.

And that was it for my Autumn Swift Parrot survey! No Swift Parrots but negative results are still results, right?