Olkola land managers brothers Glen Kulka (left) and Hamish Kulka (right) among termite mounds at Killarney. Credit:Penny Stephens But the slender parrots' nests won't be found in the treetops. The alwal likes to nest about a metre above ground inside the cement-coloured conical termite mounds that dot the woodlands and savannah. "Alwal never forgot where he was created," says the quietly spoken Olkola Aboriginal Corporation chairman and elder Mike Ross. "That's why he lives in the mounds, close to the earth. I really believe that." The Queensland government's return of five former pastoral properties to the Olkola people in December 2014 initiated the rehabilitation of more than 1 million hectares. Now, through a partnership with the Olkola Aboriginal Corporation and Bush Heritage Australia, a concerted effort is underway to "bring alwal home". The section of Olkola country known as north Maryanne flat where this week a nest search took place has never been surveyed before. But the soaring termite mounds make Bush Heritage ecologist Allana Brown think this might be a perfect parrot patch. The birds need mounds with a base of at least a metre wide to accommodate the nest chamber the males build by burrowing with their beaks. That means suitable mounds have to be at least 50 years old.

Olkola Land Manager Hamish Kulka. Credit:Penny Stephens Within five minutes of searching, a hole just a bit bigger than a table tennis ball is spotted in a termite mound. It's the 51st nest found since surveying began in May and it lifts the team. "It's very hard to find looking at each and every mound for a hole like that," Olkola land manager Glen Kulka says. "When we do find one, we're very happy." Juvenile golden-shouldered parrots. Credit:Penny Stephens After taking mound measurements there is one final question to be answered: was it a successful nest?

To find out, Glen and his younger brother Hamish use a wireless inspection camera to view the inside of the nest chamber on a pocket-sized screen. They are looking for signs of predation – damaged eggs or discarded fledgling feathers are evidence of an unwanted visitor. The good news for both conservationists and the species' prospects is that the nest is clean and clear. Olkola elders and land managers brothers Glen Kulka (left) and Hamish Kulka (right) and Allana Brown, Ecologist with Bush Heritage Australia searching for possible nests. Credit:Penny Stephens Listed on the IUCN's red list and listed as endangered by the Queensland and federal governments, there are less than 2500 golden-shouldered parrots left. "They are battling on many fronts," Ms Brown says. There may be fewer than 2000 golden-shouldered parrots left in their native South Central Cape York habitat. Credit:Penny Stephens

A thickening of the bird's preferred open habitat due to reduced Aboriginal burning has hit the small parrot hard. Its food sources such as delicate firegrass struggle to grow in shade and increased cover makes it harder for parents to spot ambush predators such as the pied butcherbird, which picks off chicks before they even leave the nest. Meanwhile numbers of black-faced woodswallows, which act as alwal's guard dog by warning them of danger, are also in decline. A feral cat is caught on camera raiding a nest. Credit:Olkola Land Managers Before being removed, cattle heavily grazed the land and some feral escapees still knock over the termite mounds when they use them to sharpen their horns. Other feral pests include pigs which use the larger mounds as scratching posts – again damaging and reducing potential parrot nesting sites. To top things off, a new and unexpected feral threat was revealed this week. Among the data downloaded from one of the 15 remote nest monitoring cameras was heartbreaking footage of a feral black cat climbing a mound and reaching into the nest to scoop out a chick. The animal returned at the same time the next day to clean out the nest.