Thousands of Budgies thrive and then die?

Submitted: Monday, May 18, 2009 at 05:57
ThreadID: 68937 Views:3232 Replies:4 FollowUps:10
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Hi Folks:

If I remember correctly I read somewhere that a couple of months ago with so many outback areas experiencing heavy rains that the result was that budgies flourished everywhere and were in massive numbers in the thousands. I later saw a video on youtube that someone posted showing heaps of them dead from overheating in unpresidented numbers. Has anyone heard this? While I was in Aus from August 2008-February 2009 I never saw huge numbers but would have liked to.

By the way if you havent done so you are welcome to check out my blog where I filmed smaller flocks of budiges and other parrots as I traveled all over this magnificent country. I filmed over 50 species of parrots for my doco!

http://polytelismedia.wordpress.com/

Come by and say hi if you like!

Don
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Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 07:50

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 07:50
We saw absolutely massive clouds of Budgies once, in 1967, north of Coober Pedy. It was quite unbelievable. They literally blocked out the sun. Have seen flocks since, but never in those concentrations.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome
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Follow Up By: Member -Signman - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 12:47

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 12:47
Is that your story in the current Wanderer ???





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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 13:00

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 13:00
No Signman, that was about the Mount McCall Track in Tassi.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome
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Reply By: Willem - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 09:01

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 09:01
G'day Don


Read about it HERE



Cheers
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Follow Up By: Wompoo - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 10:07

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 10:07
Great mate!

Thats exactly the story I was referring to! Man tough one for the poor old heat exhausted birds. When I was watching flocks of budgies at Bowra Station in Western Queensland it was hard for me to see how they were getting much nutrition out of just running along the ground and pecking sporadically. After raising hundred in my aviaries its amazing how tough these little native budgies are!

Thanks!

Don

PS: I just finished updating my blog to show folks how we made out traveling up Cape York to the Iron Range.Check it out if you would like to...

http://polytelismedia.wordpress.com/

Cheers!
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Reply By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 10:34

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 10:34
I spent some time working on the Nullarbor in the early 70's, and one good year there was lush half-metre-high grass instead of grey stubble. With this sort of feed, the budgies were in their millions, and we were able to catch the occasional young one by hand.
Then they disappeared again.
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Follow Up By: Wompoo - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 16:26

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 16:26
Wow I would have paid big money to see that mate! would have been great stuff for my doco!

Cheers!

Don
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Reply By: Member - Joe F (WA) - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 13:08

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 13:08
G'day Don

As a point of interest, at the present time in my part of the Pilbara we are experiencing extraordinarily large numbers of Corollas, both short and long beaked varieties.

They tend to roost up in the river gums along the Fortescue river during the daylight hours, then come evening the fly back into the Newman town site where there are large well established trees, eucalypts being the more targeted, and they absolutely destroy all the new growth.

This is a cyclical event and these little buggers displace many of the smaller bird varieties that at one time or another tend to be in and around the towns gardens.

When the warmer weather returns ~ less surface water ~ lots of dead and dying Corollas, not pretty but an adjustment in the bird population.

Cheers
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Follow Up By: DIO - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 14:14

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 14:14
Don't you mean Corellas !! Corollas are a product of the Toyota Motor Co.
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Follow Up By: Flywest - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 15:39

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 15:39
[quote]Don't you mean Corellas !! Corollas are a product of the Toyota Motor Co.[/quote]

Same dog - different leg - 1000's of Corrolla's also die for lack of water all part of the "natural cycle" of toyota recycling, when you think about it just like the poor corella's! ;o)

To my mind as a big bad 4wd owner, the deaths of thousands of Corolla's on our roads due to lack of water can't come quick enough - and while we are at it thriw in all the Hyundia's and other little gogomobiles / buzz boxes that zip in and outta city traffic like they are immune to getting run over by an F truck. ;o)

Their day too will come... he he he (said with an evil mad max like spine chilling laugh). ;o)

Cheers.
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Follow Up By: Wompoo - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 16:25

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 16:25
Hi Joe:

You would find it amusing mate that I searched all over for some time to find areas that had flocks of Corellas to film. I finally ended up filming plenty of Long Billed Corellas at a place near Emu Plains in NSW. Penrith it was called.

Its would be so difficult for someone like me from North America to not try and run around and take all of those Corellas to an avian vet... grin... Afterall to purchase a long billed Corella in Canada is about 6000.00 Canadian each.

However as a wildlife researcher I understand nature's laws. Its hard after you have been conditioned to seeing parrots in cages and thinking of them as expensive exotics to be nurtured like a prized breed of horse or dog to think of them any differently.

Australia is so rich in bird life. I was very moved at seeing such beautiful flocks of parrots everywhere. Hopefully if I ever slog through the 45 hours of footage I need to edit I wish to a doco on Aussie Parrots. Perhaps even some of my aussie mates might want a copy?

Cheers!

Don
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Follow Up By: Mark R - Monday, May 18, 2009 at 17:37

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 17:37
He meant COROLLAS - in the outback TOYOTAS RULE
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Follow Up By: Member - Joe F (WA) - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 00:10

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 00:10
G'day Don (Wompoo)

Yes mate there are very many things in the Australian outback that defy logic, when it comes to over population in the truest sense.

Good rain seasons bring on an abundance of animals and birds but then with a sudden change in the season it can bring on mass natural cull , it is truely just natures law.

My apology for the misspelled or should that be misspelt text in the word Corella.

To the hecklers ~ thank you for pointing out my mistake so eloquently.

Cheers.
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 13:19

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 13:19
In the mid 50s, my Dad saw 50mm long fish in pools on the top of Ayres Rock.

Cheers,
Peter
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