Scotch College

Treasure by the Boatshed

After the Easter 2001 Chapel Service for the Glen Chapter of the O.S.C.A. members and wives walked via the quadrangle to the Cardinal Pavilion for lunch.

Rounding the S/W corner of the tennis courts, we noted a beautiful, intensely green pair of parrots about 31cm long, feeding in the grass towards the Boat Shed. Neither flew.

The female scurried three metres toward the shed and continued feeding. The male reared up clearly displaying his transversely barred green and yellow breast and bright red forehead.

He was between us and the female and characteristically did not budge. Both birds exhibited intensive narrow black lines at the tips of the feathers on the back of the shorter feathers of the wings – a superb camouflage feature in long grass or dried up swamp.

They were Ground Parrots (Pezoporus wallicus) a quite rare species with a range according to Slater* limited to a strip along that portion of Victorian Coast which faces South West, the West Coast of Tasmania, and quite short strips of the NSW Coast, tiny strips of the Victorian Coast with a South East aspect and North East Tasmania and a tiny strip at Albany, WA. Previous sightings have been made east and west of Port Phillip, but never to the north of it.

The bird can fly superbly but is reluctant to do so, and is the only parrot to rest on the ground, making it easy prey for foxes. It is a compliment to our school boys that despite an active schoolboy population the birds continue to occupy this area. Perhaps it will nest at Scotch.

The Scotch sighting is now an official part of Victorian Ornithological Records at the Museum of Victoria.

Mr Alan Gilchrist (’38)

*Slater, Peter (1979) Rigby ltd.
‘A field guide to Australian Birds –
Non Passerines’ Vol.1. Plate III, p.p.ps. 379