Swift parrot are starting to be seen in Tasmania, and indications are that it is likely at least some will be breeding on Bruny Island this 2024 season. Both our TWBBI manager Andrew Hingston and the much wider effort from Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) have indicated poor Blue gum flower buds, but good black gum buds.
Last year saw heavy blue gum flowering across many Tasmanian sites, including Bruny. As a result, swifites nested in many areas, with no big concentrations.
This season, few blue gum areas are showing heavy flowering which is not surprising due to last year’s showing, but there will be quite heavy flowering of their other key food resources – black gum (E. ovata) and Brookers gum (E. brookeriana). These three species all flower around the time that swifties are producing and nurturing their young – an annual event that only occurs in Tasmania.
Read the full report from STT below.
