Bushwalk Australia

Has anyone here seen ground parrots in Tasmania?

I think the Ground Parrots are the green ones that hide in the buttongrass in the southwest, and fly about 20 metres and land again if you approach them.
We saw those ones between Cox Bight and Melaleuca. Not a good look at them, but definitely not the Orange Bellied that I am talking about.

Some info on the OBP in this topic.

Those are the ones. Man- how lucky to see them- now I've really got motivation to get to Melaluca. Thanks Adam! Next time you go I'll loan you my 100-400...it'd be awesome to get some shots of them.

t_c_p have seen them on the slopes of Mt Eliza in the SW, below high camp hut, have some(blurry) photos somewhere, they let you get pretty close if you travel quietly

cool!

Same as Adam, saw some in the Melaleuka / Coxs Bight area in January.

I think I saw one on pineforest moor once... It was large and green (and a parrot). It sprung out of the buttongrass like a quail went perhaps 50m and landed. I havent seen one before or since.

A very very long time ago I saw a couple in the scrub near Snug. And we used to get them (very rarely) on the flats at Lauderdale. Been a long time since, but. Maybe I should get back down to Melaleuca. But . . . Oh, the mud on that track . . .

scavenger wrote:Maybe I should get back down to Melaleuca. But . . . Oh, the mud on that track . . .

Dodge the bog with a lollypop perhaps?
Seriously tho, you can fly in & out. If I could afford the time, I would do that for a couple of weeks, take plenty of bottles of wine, a generator and the coffee machine.
That would be fun!

tasadam wrote:you can fly in & out... a generator and the coffee machine....

You're not one of them noisy camping lots are you?
(the coffee machine I can heartily support, but the generator?... maybe you need to design a peadle-powerd version or something)

The last "generator" experience I had was at Deep Creek last Boxing Day... some kind people running it for about 5 hours after dark, so they could power their floodlight (directed off into the bush beside their caravan) and their telly.... <breaths in deeply> smell the serenity!

tasadam wrote:

scavenger wrote:Maybe I should get back down to Melaleuca. But . . . Oh, the mud on that track . . .

Dodge the bog with a lollypop perhaps?
Seriously tho, you can fly in & out.

I can afford the time easier than the plane. My budget is seriously limited.

There is something to be said for total indulgence. Fly in -trip out(wine) + wake up in a magic place. I'm there Adam, book me a seat.

I saw a few ground parrots at birches inlet on the west coast. very shy things they were
But mostly it was their high pitched call throughout the night that I heard.

kramster wrote:

tasadam wrote:you can fly in & out... a generator and the coffee machine....

You're not one of them noisy camping lots are you?
(the coffee machine I can heartily support, but the generator?...

The concept of flying in for a week or two and flying out again does appeal to me, as does taking a few luxuries such as wine. And big camera lenses when I can afford them.
But the coffee machine and a generator I was not serious. Need fuel to run a generator anyhow, which cannot be flown in.
And my coffee machine weighs 27 kilo's - not going to carry that from the airstrip to the hut...

27 kilo's of port sounds much more appealing!

The idea of having a month or two and living on a large boat in Bathurst Harbour, taking photographic day trips with an inflatable up all the nooks and crannys, creeks and streams - now we're talking!
You know where to find me if I win lotto.

oh baby- that's a lot of glass.

tasadam wrote:The idea of having a month or two and living on a large boat in Bathurst Harbour, taking photographic day trips with an inflatable up all the nooks and crannies, creeks and streams - now we're talking!

Oh, yes!
Though I think I'd prefer a canoe. For the nooks and crannies, not the living aboard. Probably a bit damp for the latter.

They are found in many places in Tas saw one on Mt Roland recently. SW cape range features LOTS though!

ILUV- that's my backyard!!! Could you PM me the approximate place, for the next time I'm out there? (Roland that is)

I wonder if they are largely territorial, there common distribution is apparently confined to the west:



http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=5155