A Glimmer of Hope

The letter below is a step towards co-operation between the State Government Department responsible for the State's wildlife, and the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union with regard to finding out more (than almost no knowledge) of where ground parrots are in Western Australia and what the population level might be. 

Learning about ground parrot census by listening

The letter below shows that we here in Western Australia were trying to find out how to census by listening rather than relying on casual observations of birds. Richard Jordan, manager of Barren Grounds Bird Observatory where Eastern Ground Parrots occur, was very helpful.

At about this time Richard Jordan sent the tape recording referred to in the posting of February 1 2014 so that we would know what to listen for.

First feeding record, February 1983

The following piece was published in the Western Australian Naturalist Volume 15, pages 145-6.

The bird is referred to as the Swamp Parrot, an accepted common name at that time. 

A Daviesia pachyphylla showing scars where Ground Parrots has chewed through the leaf. The lower photo shows (not very clearly) discarded spines. Photos: B. Newbey

Farms or Conservation?

By the end of March 1983, the State Government had changed from Liberal to Labour and there was to be an enquiry into Land release for agriculture. However the North Fitzgerald was so close to release that that program was to continue to the dismay of those anxious about the Western Ground Parrot.

Surveying for Ground Parrots by call had begun, thanks to information received from the Jordans at Barren Grounds in New south Wales, including a tape recording (Blog entry February 1, 2014). The time that Richard Jordan suggested to listen in the evening, based on experience of the Eastern Ground Parrots was sunset to 30 minutes after. We did not yet realise that that timing was incorrect for the Western Ground Parrots.