Suffolk Birds 1997

B U D G E R I G A R Melopsittacus undulatus Abundant throughout drier parts of Australia.

Lowestoft: Oct. 1st.

Woolverstone: Woolverstone Marina, Sep. 12th.

A F R I C A N G R E Y P A R R O T Psittacus erithacus Savanna and humid forests of w and central Africa.

Ipswich: Brickfield Close, Aug.22nd.

This w a s apparently a very talkative individual - a pity it hadn't been taught its name and address!

N A N D AY P A R R O T Nandayus nenday Panfanai of n Argentina, Paraguay and sw Brazil.

Cavenham/Icklingham: four, Jan.26th and 28th; three. May 27th and Sep.7th.

The g r o u p of five f r o m 1996 seems to be gradually dwindling away.

C O C K A T I E L Nymphicus hollandicus Widespread and abundant in interior of Australia.

Corton: Oct. 18th.

Great Bealings: Jun.8th.

Unidentified parakeets Singles w e r e reported f r o m Icklingham and Lackford on August 14th and West Stow on A u g u s t 10th and N o v e m b e r 10th. Perhaps all involved distant Nandays!

H u m m i n g b i r d species A quite extraordinary report involved that of a h u m m i n g b i r d reported feeding f r o m fuchsias in a Henley, Ipswich garden on 1st to 3rd November. Immediate thoughts turn to H u m m i n g b i r d H a w k - m o t h Macroglossum stellatarum (indeed the tail pattern of the moth is identical to that of m a n y hummingbirds!) but the description and sketch supplied by the observer are most convincing. Identity of such an individual is nigh on impossible, although the description of green above and rufous below with a blacktipped, red bill does neatly fit Buff-bellied H u m m i n g b i r d Amazilia yucatanensis but there are other very similar species. That the bird should have survived at least three days in N o v e m b e r is remarkable; these are extremely difficult birds to keep and are very rare in captivity. See the article on page 144.

R E D - B I L L E D L E I O T H R I X Leiothrix lutea Mountains of n India, se Tibet, s China, Myanmar and n Tonkin.

Lavenham: Blight's Farm, male in song, Aug.4th to 6th.

West Stow: West Stow Country Park, male in song, Aug. 16th and 17th.

Although the two sites are not close to each other, it is tempting to assume that both records involve the same lonely individual.

P U R P L E G L O S S Y S T A R L I N G Ijimprotornis purpureus Savanna of Senegal to s Sudan, Uganda and nw Kenya.

Minsmere: Sep.6th.

A notoriously difficult g r o u p to identify. Purple Glossy Starling is perhaps one of the easier Lamprotomis species, being purple over the whole of the head as well as being structurally different to most other species, with stouter bill giving largerheaded appearance.

C O M M O N W A X B I L L Estrilda astrild Grasslands of Africa s of Sahara.

Benacre: Jul.28th.

S o small the observer did well to see it, let alone identify it!

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