Red-rumped Parrots, Euston, NSW

Sydney Trip June 2011

On the second day of our trip home from Sydney last June we detoured slightly from the main route on our way to Mildura. I wanted to drive through parts of the small river town of Euston which is between Mildura and Balranald. I can’t ever recall driving through this town, and I think we’ve always just detoured past the town on the main road through.

We drove slowly around a few streets and then found ourselves at the river frontage. On the lawns near the river a small flock of Red-rumped Parrots was feeding on the grass seeds. Without switching off the car I aimed the camera through the window and took a few shots of them.

This species is relatively common in my home town and district, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful at getting some good photos of them. While they are not brilliant, I am pleased to have taken some reasonable shots of this beautiful bird at last. Only the male has the bright red rump.

My next challenge with this species is to photograph a male sitting in full sunshine and facing me so that the bright yellow and green front shows clearly.

This post was updated on 4th February 2016.

Male Red-rumped Parrot, Euston, NSW