Discovering Bourke’s Parakeets in the wild

by Allen Friis

A friend of mine contacted me recently to say that Bourke’s Parakeets (Neopsephotus bourkii) had been seen regularly near Cunnamulla in Queensland’s south west.  I have observed Bourke’s in the wild on three occasions, but had managed to get only one decent photo from these sightings.  As a bird lover who can’t get enough of seeing our wonderful parrots and cockatoos in the wild, I knew I had to make arrangements to travel the 1,000km (620 mile) trip in the hope of seeing and photographing these little gems.

Although the roads are good, it is a long drive, but I hoped it would be worth the trip.  Rain had fallen on the day before I arrived and there was water everywhere.  The red soil of the Aussie Outback is a trap when wet and even pulling off the road to rest is a mistake as you can become hopelessly bogged.

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