A bird in the hand
I had to laugh at a line in a regular column in our daily newspaper this morning.
‘A bird in the hand is safer than one overhead.’
I disagree.
Yes – sure – I’ve been pooped on from above on a number of occasions. The most memorable of these was twice in the space of a few minutes while exploring the streets of Kathmandu in Nepal.
But having a bird in the hand is no guarantee of safety. I’ve handled a few birds over the years, including in aviaries and birds in our garden stunned from flying into windows. I’ve been pooped on the hand more than once from nervous birds.
Most birds have rather sharp claws and small parrots have needle like bills. I have never handled a larger parrot, one such as a Galah, without some form of protection for my hands. I reckon that our large black cockatoos would do some serious damage to a finger given half a chance. I prefer not to test out that theory.
Being pooped upon is only one of the hazards of being around birds. Some birds are very cantankerous given the right circumstances. A few years ago I wrote a long article about dealing with aggressive bird behaviour. It has proved to be one of the most popular articles on this blog.
Happy birding.
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Sulphur Crested Cockatoos
Pink Cockatoo
Cockatiel and Pink Cockatoo in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
The photo above shows a Cockatiel (left) and a Pink Cockatoo (centre) in the aviary in Pinnaroo, eastern South Australia. Both species are relatively common in the area. This is not a particularly good photo of the Pink Cockatoo – see below for a better shot which my son took some years ago at the Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney.
The Pink Cockatoo is also known as the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, named after an early Australian explorer.
This beautiful member of the parrot family is widespread throughout much of the arid and semi-arid regions of mainland Australia. It is far less common than other cockatoos. It is always a special bird to see in the wild, especially when they land and they raise their stunning crests.
Major Mitchell Cockatoo (also called Pink Cockatoo)
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Emus
2 Comments »20th February, 2010; Category: Aviaries
Emus in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
When I visited Pinnaroo in eastern South Australia last week I visited the local aviaries next to the caravan park. I’ve featured some of the birds seen over recent days. Next to the aviaries was a large enclosure containing a small flock of Emus. They cam over to the fence to see what I was up to. I ignored them as I took photos of the birds in the cages. By the time I’d finished, the Emus had lost interest in me and had wandered off.
If you look carefully in the photo above, you can see an Emu sitting under the tree on the left hand side. It looks as though this is a male sitting on eggs. The female Emu will mate with the male, select a nesting site on the ground, a rough scrape in the dirt lined with a few twigs or leaves. She will lay the 5 to 11 large green eggs and then will leave.
The male takes over the task of incubating the eggs and caring for the young for up to 18 months. Meanwhile, the female wanders off and may mate with several other males during the breeding season.
Emus can be found throughout most parts of mainland Australia, especially in pastoral and cropping lands, plains, scrublands and national parks.
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Two Galahs and a Corella
Galahs in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
I took this photo of two Galahs in the aviary next to the Pinnaroo Caravan Park last week. Rather sad looking birds if you ask me. I guess they’d rather be out in the fields pinching the seeds from a farmer’s wheat crop. At least they have each other – many parrots mate for life. It’s a little hard to tell but by digitally enlarging the photo it looks like the one on the left is a male, the other a female. (Males have dark brown eyes, females red eyes).
Even sadder is the solitary Little Corella shown below.
Little Corella in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
Cockatiel parrots
Cockatiel parrot in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
The public aviary I visited in Pinnaroo last week contained a good variety of Australian parrots. One species I was able to photograph through the wire mesh was a Cockatiel parrot. Up until now I hadn’t managed a good shot of this species in the wild, so I was pleased to get this photo.
Cockatiels are found throughout many parts of mainland Australia, except coastal NSW and southern Victoria. Their preferred habitats include open woodlands, scrubland, plains, timbered watercourses and grain growing farmlands. They are known to be nomadic in response to rainfall.
They make their nest in a tree hollow, often near water and their breeding season is from August to December.They feed on a variety of grass seeds, nuts, berries and grain.
They are known in some areas by their Aboriginal name Quarrion, a name which mimics one of their calls. They make excellent pets and can be taught to speak a few words. I remember having one at home when I was a child, but he didn’t learn many words – despite my efforts.
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