Just thought I would send a note to the group to let non-Canberra people know what has been going on with this species in suburban Canberra recently.
When we first moved to Canberra in 1994 you had to travel quite a long way to the north west to see Superb Parrots. Gradually, however, they grew more common in the northern suburbs of Canberra. They seem to have discovered the possibilities of elm seeds and seeds from planted wattles in the suburban environment, and they enjoy fruit from fruit trees too (plums, apricots, feijoas &c).
We live just south of the inner south, in Hughes, near the Woden Town Centre. By the 2010s I was seeing the odd pair flying over but in the summer of 2017-18 they suddenly arrived in our neck of the woods. I suspect they found eucalypt hollows on the Federal Golf Course and on Red Hill to nest in. In the summers of 2017-18, 19-20 and 20-21 we had quite big flocks around (sometimes around 30-40 flying by). They would arrive in September, then in October and November you would see males only flying around as the females sat on the eggs, then flocks of males, females and juveniles. They would stay until the very cold weather begins (around the end of June).
This summer they have been around our area, though not in such large numbers. I have heard reports of them being seen in numbers even further south up to Tuggeranong even.
It's great to have yet another native parrot to add to our local list of c.12 or so. Once you learn the call (it's a sort of growling cackle, like Black-faced Cuckooshrike, only more prolonged) you can hear that they are around in the treetops even if you can't see them.
—
John Leonard
