FROM nine metres up an old eucalyptus on a property near Cootamundra, Neil Hermes attaches a nest box to the hollow of a tree.

The Canberra ornithologist – someone who specialises in the study of birds – is assembling artificial homes for the vulnerable superb parrot fighting extinction.

“Superb parrots are the most exquisite birds,” Neil says.

“They fly like darts in the air and have a fabulous call. But they are highly endangered and they are very picky about the hollows they nest in.”

The superb parrot, found in the Murrumbidgee and Riverina regions and parts of the ACT, nests in large hollows of old trees. 

Tree hollows can take more than 100 years to form, and tree clearing and development has taken a toll on the bird’s habitat.

But Neil hopes his specifically-designed wooden nest boxes will tilt the odds in favour of this critically endangered species.

“There’s less than 10,000 superb parrots in the wild and we will lose them very quickly unless something is done,” Neil says.

“These boxes may be part of the answer to increasing the numbers of these birds.”

Pairs of superb parrots can nest in the same hollow for many years, Neil says, but if their nest tree is cut down, they find it difficult to locate and adapt to a new home.

Neil’s nest boxes, made from wood and weighing about 20 kilograms each, simulate the kind of hollow the parrots are used to.

“The boxes are not a long-term solution but they are a stop gap as we start to plant younger trees to replace the older trees,” Neil says.

Neil has teamed up with his brother Ashley to trial the effectiveness of the nest-box design and using a cherry picker, the brothers have attached 50 nest boxes – up to nine metres high – to trees on Ashley’s Bethungra property.

“One of the challenges is getting the nest boxes high enough into the trees,” Neil says.

For the design of the nest boxes, Neil drew on research indicating that    “choosy” superb parrots like only certain eucalypts, such as hollows in large tree limbs that have deep chambers, wide entrances and enough space on the floor for nesting.

“We have used research by Canberra scientist Dr Laura Rayner from ANU to give us clues as to what might trigger the parrots to use nest boxes,” Neil explained.

“Dr Rayner discovered that the parrots are very fussy about where they choose to raise their young. Other species of parrots are very catholic in their tastes, but the superb parrot is very picky.”

Although nest boxes have been tried in the past, Neil – who’s been studying the superb parrot for many years – is hoping his design will make a big difference.

“One thing we are trialling is the height and that’s why we are putting them so high up in the trees,” Neil says.

“We have also experimented with the thickness of the wood, the dimension of the boxes and we are locating them near existing super parrot nests.”

If Neil’s trial is successful, he hopes the nest boxes will be used in other areas where the superb parrot lives, such as Canberra.

Although not a native to the nation’s capital, growing populations of the superb parrot have made the ACT home in recent years.

“There’s a small population of them in Gungahlin and a flock regularly feeds in trees in the AIS car park,” Neil says.

“In recent years small flocks have also been spotted south of Lake Burley Griffin. I now get them in my backyard in Woden and people see them in Tuggeranong, so they are expanding back into Canberra.”

Neil has high hopes for his trial and with the breeding season underway, he  remains optimistic the nest boxes will boost population numbers.

“These birds are beautiful and fascinating and an integral part of our natural landscape,” Neil says.

“We may not be successful in our trial but we have to try something, otherwise we will lose them.”