King Parrots with Unusual Markings

King Parrots are easy to spot and we see them daily. The brightly coloured males and more pastel females (and juveniles, which resemble the females) all have the same markings of red/orange, green, and blue. Here's a photo showing the side and back of an adult male - notice that other than the little turquiose "racing stripe" on his wing, his wings and back are solid green:

In the last couple of years, though, I've been seeing individuals which have splashes of yellow on their backs, like this one (below):

And here's another picture of the same bird, with it's companion. I had a tough time getting these photos, as this little guy kept running up to me (looking for a treat, no doubt) and every time I tried to maneuver behind him to get a photo of his back, he turned toward me again.

Here's another bird with even more yellow:

The dark beaks on these birds show that they are youngsters. I've not seen yellow markings like this on adults, at least not yet, so I'm wondering if the yellow feathers molt out - or if what I'm seeing is simply a mutation in the wild.

I did a little research online and found some discussions about these markings. One person posted that the markings were caused by Pittascine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) - a virus which causes deformity in feathers and beaks, ultimately fatal. I know that PBFD is found in the wild parrot population in our area, so I searched for PBFD and King Parrot information and found another discussion forum with a posting from a person who claims to be an avian vet - and who said the same thing. Finally, I came across a reliable source - a PDF from Australia's Department of the Environment and Heritage) which confirms that yellow feathers on a normally green bird are the first "clinical sign" of PBFD.

Bassian Thrush

Ever since we came here over 6 years ago, my husband has been keeping a list of each species of bird that we've seen on our property. Last week he added another one: Bassian Thrush
 

(Click the photo above to see a larger image)

The bird suddenly showed up last week and landed on the deck just outside Stephen's office window. Stephen was quick to grab his camera and get this picture.

After looking up this bird online, I've learned that they tend to stay in dense cover, preferring well-shaded gullies. I can only imagine what this one was after - landing on our deck, well away from any shrubs or other cover.

I found a recording of a Bassian's call - and noted that they are most often heard at dawn. I'll be listening now in the mornings and hope to hear one chirping.

Superstition

We've only had two decent rains since before Christmas. The forest around us grows drier every day, it seems. The forecast for the next few days calls for hot and sunny. I'm just hoping we don't get "windy" to go with it.

According to the CFA (Country Fire Authority) website, there are three big bushfires still out of control in the state. The biggest is in the Baw Baw district to our east (quite a ways off). It's burned over 82,000 hectares. I found an online calculator to convert hectares to square miles, trying to get some idea of what that means. The calculator told me that 82,000 hectares works out to 316 square miles!

My car is covered in dust - a normal condition during summer when our dirt road is a factory producing fine powdery dust which flies all around when you drive on it. The last time I washed it was the day before our first good rainstorm this year. Coincidence? Of course! But yesterday I decided to hook up the hose to our rain tank and rinse it off, and for good measure I gave all my potted plants a good soak, too. After all - you wash your car and it rains, right?

The effect? We woke up to find a thick cloud laying on the mountain, but no rain. So much for superstition.

More Babies: a Wallaby!!!

Y'day afternoon I was busy looking after the potted plants we have on the balcony when I spotted an adult wallaby on the slope below the house. And oh, what DELIGHT! She had a joey in her pouch - as she was nibbling on the grass, the little baby poked it's head out and was sampling the greenery, too.

 And LOOK! I managed to get a photo!

(Click the photo for a larger image) 

The picture is grainy, as I was some distance away and used the "zoom" on my camera to get the best possible shot.

 Our wallaby residents pretty much prevent me from having much of a flower garden (they devour everything), but oh... how lovely they are! I can buy flowers at the flower stand. Our wallaby family is priceless!