Rakali River, anyone?
When I was a kid the family went for picnics in the bush at Diamond Creek. That’s when Diamond Creek truly was the bush. I spent many an hour wading through the water trying to find those elusive diamonds. It was only much later in life I was told Diamond Creek was named after a bull called Diamond that drowned in it.
Until recently I had consigned the King Parrot Creek to the same category as Diamond Creek, great name, but not based on reality. I have lived in Flowerdale for nearly a decade and spent many hours on the banks of the creek. I regularly see platypus, rakali and any number of bird species but never a King Parrot (I can hear the Flowerdale residents gasping in amazement!). Grey Fantail Creek – sure, Platypus Creek – yep, Sacred Kingfisher Creek – maybe, but King Parrot Creek – no.
Trudie and Len recently invited me around to their property to look at the Tawny Frogmouths, which had returned to roost in their usual tree (click HERE to view blog). And there, sitting on a branch was an Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis). The male has a striking orange head and body with green wings while the female has a green head and wings and an 
orange belly. They are truly worthy of having a creek named after them. Word of my heresy, however, has spread through the township. To all Flowerdalians, I do believe in K-P’s. Please stop sending photos.
This weekend, weather permitting, we’re going on a picnic … to Diamond Creek … to make our fortune in diamonds (no bull).
Focus On Fauna 
You needn’t feel too bad about your lack of King-Parrot sightings, Ron. They were indeed absent from the King Parrot Valley for many years and only started returning in about 2003 to our knowledge. For a long time we thought that Hume and Hovell, who named the King Parrot Creek, must have had poor bird ID skills and confused the Crimson Rosellas, which are prolific in the valley, with the King-Parrot!
We would like to think that their return has a lot to do with the extensive revegetation that has occurred along the creek and elsewhere in the valley in recent years. But we suspect their increasing presence may also be due to the fact that many people are now feeding the birds, which raises the issues of over-dependence on artificial feeding, an unbalanced diet, etc. But that’s another story …
Dave and Laurie
They are wonderfully coloured birds. In Upper Fern Tree Gully and Belgrave South, they whistle till you come out and give them a little bit of seed. Yes my children and Grandchildren do feed them! but only small amounts as the crimson rosellas are always in competition…
I don’t think it’s so much the amount of artificial feeding but more importantly the cleanliness of the feed trays. Many diseases are spread between birds, especially parrots, from dirty feed trays.
Chris Cobern
Landcare Coordinator
Upper Goulburn Landcare Network