corella changes

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poephila
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corella changes

I have previously recorded a large (about 70) flock of long-billed corellas that came to reside in Goulburn, having moved in from the north-east via Marulan several years ago. This year their numbers seem to have been augmented by little corellas that have moved in en masse. The littles seem much less wary that the long-bills and are not at all shy of close observers. I haven't yet been able to estimate numbers but they are feeding young. A larger census of the two populations is needed. Neither species has been, to my knowledge, recorded here (at least as permanent residents) in the past.

Adele
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There has been quite an increase in the number of little corellas in Canberra as well; three years ago I was surprised to see a small group in the northern suburbs, and presumed they were aviary escapees. Last year a large flock arrived with the sulphur crested cockatoos, and returned this year, numbering over a hundred. They roost in a mixed flock with the cockies behind my house, making a hell of a racket at dusk. I wonder if they will have a large impact on the other parrots in the region.
What do you think has caused this?

finches
finches's picture

Here at South West Rocks, we have a flock of corellas which started with just one bird about 12 years ago. After a dry year in the western districts of NSW, a flock of galahs suddenly appeared with 1 corella with them. After staying a few months they disappeared. The next year a slightly larger flock of galahs arrived with 2 corellas.The next year saw us with 3 corellas in an even bigger flock of galahs which decided to stay, and have been breeding very well ever since.We now have about 20 corellas & 3 flocks of galahs.

Birdfreak
Birdfreak's picture

Hi guys.

I live in suburban Sydney and a large flock of Long-billed and Little Corellas, along with Sulphur-crested Cockies and Galahs regularly visit my area. They spend most of their time at someone's bird feeder. Unfortunatly this person's house in the corner of a pretty busy road and recently a Corella was hit by a car.

Max.

Adele
Adele's picture

Do you think these changes are related to the drought, or just a temporary fluctuation? I haven't seen any evidence of breeding with the group of corellas in my area, so it seems that they are migrating in summer. We also noticed a huge increase in the number of koels calling last spring, from one or two isolated calls the previous year to dozens every night throughout the northern suburbs.

finches
finches's picture

I haven't seen any evidence of corellas breeding here, that is, I haven't seen young birds being fed as I have with our galah flocks, but the corellas aren't as obvious as the galahs - I might only see them once a week but I see the galahs daily. I'll make an effort over winter to see if I can spot them - if they are, they must be a resident flock & as such I would assume that they are breeding here.

sundog
sundog's picture

That's interesting. A couple of years ago I was making a website about about birds in my own backyard and had a section for long-billed corellas. There was a flock of up to forty hanging around the area because of being fed.

About a year later the flock seemed to have moved into a park about a quarter of a kilometer away after the person feeding them died or moved. I only began photographing them after they moved (maybe a year later) and was sorting photos for the website when I noticed I had photographed Little Corellas.

I don't usually make that kind of mistake with a bird I had a lot of exposure to as I did with the Long-Bills. I have no idea if it means anything. I had to rebuild that webpage and I always wondered if I should have included both birds rather than assuming I was wrong.

I am at Budgewoi on the Central Coast of NSW by the way

sundog
sundog's picture

Hi Denis. I have a few websites on local things. I have a problem getting about so I started observing the things I love about my own backyard. I also took the opportunity to put a community magazine into online form but that's been languishing as I am more and more housebound recently.

I hope everyone will forgive me if I put the links here. Birds [url]http://birds.weblightaustralia.com [/url] Spiders http://www.weblightstudio.com.au/spiders and the magazine http://www.windjilla.com

It keeps my passion for life alive when the walls start closing in.

Your site looks great. I like your ideas as well!

poephila
poephila's picture

Now for the difficult part. Having failed with Webshots to include photos, I'll try6 with Facebook (if this fails I'll go with Flicker then).

If it works, there should be a photo of a corella, but which one? The morphological differences of the individuals in large flocks here vary tremendously and I'd almost be tempted to call them intergrades (or hy6brids) rather than long-bills and littles alone. Some birds are clearly one or the other, but many are very difficult (pinkish flecked birds with not very long bills, birds lacking much pink with longish bills, etc.)

Fingers crossed.

Greetings from the northern Southern Tablelands of NSW

poephila
poephila's picture

Righto,

I tried "image properties location" then and saw no photo. Now I'll try "link properties location". One more time.

There should be a photo, perhaps?

Greetings from the northern Southern Tablelands of NSW

poephila
poephila's picture

Oh,

It seems to have worked the first time. Pity about the size though. Wonder why? Garumph.

More importantly: anyone else aware this phenomenon, that is (as many have noted above) long-bills arriving en masse followed by littles arriving en masse, then , in the Goulburn case, a lot of breeding activity (stacks of close pairs, begging birds and birds feeding heartily chugging fledged young)and the appearance of birds that no longer seem to have clear distinctions between the two species? Or is it just the weather (joke)?

Greetings from the northern Southern Tablelands of NSW

poephila
poephila's picture

Here are two photos of corellas in Goulburn, both of birds having fun peeling paint off an old building (perhaps they were getting to the limy stucco beneath?).

The first photo was a thumb before, but shows what appear to be long-billed corellas, the second shows birds from the same flock that appear to be more like little corellas. What do you reckon?

Above the birds below was a more long-billed-looking bird.

Greetings from the northern Southern Tablelands of NSW

sundog
sundog's picture

When I get mobile again I will have to go down to the park where they hang out with my binoculars and check this out

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