This would be any birder’s dream – to see 1000’s of Budgerigars swarming everywhere!
Unfortunately the author/photographer didn’t specify where he saw them other than “Australian Outback” but I find it very interesting that he used Google Earth to locate the waterholes. You can still use your miles to get to Australia and if you have American AAdvantage then book before 22 March devaluation.
I tried on eBird to find recent reports of huge flocks but there are just too many pins to look at them all. This is one of my Australian Birding Bucket Lists!
Story & photos are copyrighted so please click here to see them.
I didn’t get the numbers but at least I saw them at Bowra Station!
The Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) also known as common pet parakeet or shell parakeet and informally nicknamed the budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. Budgerigars are the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus, and are found wild throughout the drier parts of Australia where the species has survived harsh inland conditions for the last five million years.
I’ve been dreaming of seeing one of those huge flocks with 10,000 birds in it (Budgie-nado anyone?) but at least I got to see them up close at their nesting site at Bowra Station.
Although they have a huge range throughout inland Australia you need to be very lucky to stumble across them in the vast Outback along the main roads. Some people have been that lucky as you can see in the video below. In Queensland, Bowra Station is very reliable for budgies, also check eBird for recent sightings as these parrots are very nomadic.
There’s no shortage of Budgie videos online but here’s a couple really good ones. This one is a whole documentary about the species.
Budgie swarm.
In this video it seems the young wild Budgies have mistaken a windscreen for water and are confused. I wish that workman had a clue and offered them some water, they look really thirsty.
There are some great places to see birds just a few steps from the shearers cabin at Bowra Station. Getting up at dawn, bringing a chair outside and watching the birds wake up is very rewarding!
Black-winged Stilts are very common here.
White-breasted Woodswallows
Black-fronted Dotterel
Another stilt
Red-winged Parrot
Rainbow Bee-eater
Spoonbill
Red-rumped Parrot
Spotted Bowerbird with Bower
Kangaroos
Paddy Melons – food for hungry parrots
We’ve all seen pet Budgies but nothing beats seeing them in the wild! They have nests in the trees near the homestead.
Red-rump Parrot
Diamond Dove
Red-winged Parrot
More Budgies
Beautiful Red-winged Parrot posing nicely
Red-rumps are usually in the trees around the pond
This documentary shows the life of wild Bush Budgies in the Lake Gregory area of Western Australia (near the border with the Northern Territory). We won’t be going to this area on our trip in February, 2014 but we will be going to other areas where wild Budgies can be seen.
The first 11 minutes is beautiful and free from gory predation scenes which I personally don’t want to see. If you hate predation scenes or sad death scenes, then close your eyes at:
14:05 snake crawls into nest & eats baby budgie
19:50 baby budgie drowns while trying to fledge (and the camera crew just stood around and did nothing)
22:29 falcon attack
24:45 another falcon attack
You can tell when to open your eyes when the narrator changes the subject. I was thankfully forewarned by the comments on YouTube. I know this is a fact of life, I just don’t want the images in my head.
