It’s that time of the year when the blue gums are flowering and our garden is once again full of the endangered Swift Parrot.

These little birds are a welcome delight for us when they arrive, entertaining us with their noise whilst in flight and when they are feeding in the trees.

Swift Parrots breed only in Tasmania and then fly across Bass Strait to forage on the flowering eucalypts in open box–ironbark forests of the Australian mainland. While on the mainland, they are nomadic, spending weeks or months at some sites and only a few hours at others, determined by the supply of nectar. During dry years, when the eucalypts’ flowering is poor, Swift Parrots are forced to travel far and wide to find sufficient food, and may congregate into large flocks at sites where it is available. (©Birdlife Australia).

They are listed as Critically Endangered with only a few thousand left in the wild. 

If you’re not familiar with their call click here to visit the Birdlife Australia web site to listen to a recording.

Image of Swift Parrot © 2019  Jonathan Jones/Beach Road Studios & Gallery, Snug Tasmania