Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus)

The Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus), is a broad-tailed parrot of the genus Platycercus native to northeastern Australia.  This beautiful parrot is special for me as they sometimes come into our property.  Their visits are sporadic so I always feel honoured when they come around.

IMG_1232a IMG_1229a Pale-headed Rosellas have a large range extending from the far north of Queensland into New South Wales.  They are readily seen both in bushland and in suburbs of Brisbane (lucky me!) and prefer open forests.  They were very easy to see at Lake Coolmunda  and Mosquito Creek Road.

phr rangeLEARN MORE ABOUT PALE-HEADED ROSELLAS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Birdlife Australia

Birds in Backyards

VIDEOS

Beautiful close up to appreciate the colours on this bird.

They not only sound sweet, they are great communicators!  Check out how this one chats to a Butcherbird!

 

Birding Lake Coolmunda – Boat Ramp & Adjacent Areas

Lake Coolmunda is an amazing birding hotspot and has something for everyone!  There were plenty of parrots to keep me happy, lots of water birds in the lake and elusive little Fairy Wrens to watch out for in the bush.  These photos were taken around the boat ramp area which also has a campground and picnic area, the area across the road which is really good for parrots and the road leading to the dam.  The Coolmunda Caravan Park is where the purple dot is.

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As we approached the turn-off to the lake & boat ramp, some Galahs were waiting to greet us.

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Before we turned left down the boat ramp road, I heard parrots in the field across the street so we pulled over to investigate.  Good move as we found Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Eastern Rosellas, Pale-headed Rosellas, more Galahs, Red-rump Parrots and Little Corellas!

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Noisy Miner

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This camping area has spaces for tents and caravans and a nice picnic area which we used for breakfast.

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We drove a bit further towards the dam and saw water birds on the lake and some Superb Fairy-wrens in several bushes along the road.  Many birds were on private property and as you can see by the signs, trespassers are not wanted!  Fair enough, I wouldn’t want strangers traipsing around my property either!  The roads here are paved and in excellent condition, normal sedan cars are fine.

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We turned around at the above sign and went back to the picnic area for breakfast.  We enjoyed a nice view of many water birds while we ate.  A Pied Butcherbird came over to beg steal our food!  Public conveniences are available here.

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When we went back to this area in the evening, there were lots of Red-rumped Parrots foraging in the tall grasses.  The light was really beautiful on the lake!

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Magpies squabbling, probably over territory or a female.

IMG_0586 IMG_0587 IMG_0589 IMG_0590 IMG_0592 IMG_0585 IMG_0588And with these Outback sunset shots we ended a fantastic day of birding!