Birds, birdwatching, guides, Northern Territory NT Top End

Darwin, Top End & NT

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Birding the Green Centre

by Chris Sanderson

I came back from my recent trip to Alice Springs wanting to write about my time in the green (red) centre. My worry was, however, that birders will soon be suffering from Princess Parrot fatigue, from hearing too much about repeated trips out to the desert to look for them. With current issues in getting to sites where the parrots are, I also wanted to talk about all the other wonderful things that can be seen out in the desert around Alice. My solution to this is to instead write about some of the other amazing birds I encountered on my trip, and why I feel they are special in their own right.

Budgerigar

I have, of course, seen wild budgies before, on many occasions around the country. These tiny, gorgeous parrots for me ARE the Australian outback. Their vivid green set against the blood red soil and deep blue sky is as much a part of the experience of being in central Australia as flies and four wheel drives. My first pet as a child was a wild-type budgie that I imaginatively called “Greenie”, a friendly bird who would sit on my shoulder and nibble&hellip Read more