This is not what I wanted
No Comments »29th August, 2014; Category: Aviaries, Cockatoos and Corellas, Parrots and Lorikeets, Zoos
Major Mitchell Cockatoo
The Major Mitchell Cockatoo has to be one of Australia’s most beautiful birds. I also do not yet have a great photo of this species. The individual shown in today’s photo was in one of the aviaries at the Australian Reptile Park, near Sydney. Just seconds before I took this photo it had its crest up. I waited and waited, but it didn’t lift the crest again and we had to move on.
I think I will have to camp out on the farm where I grew up. That is where I last saw this species in the wild, but I was too slow with my camera before they flew off. You can see several other photos of captive birds here.
The photo below I took of two cockatoos during the Bird Show at Taronga Park Zoo some years ago. These are trained birds, not wild ones.
Major Mitchell Cockatoos at Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos
No Comments »13th August, 2013; Category: Adelaide Zoo, Aviaries, Cockatoos and Corellas, Parrots and Lorikeets, Zoos
Red-tailed Black-cockatoo, Adelaide Zoo
The Red-tailed Black-cockatoo is an impressive bird. Not only is it a spectacular bird when seen flying overhead in a large flock, its colours are intense. When seen up close like this one in a walk through aviary at the Adelaide Zoo, one gets a new appreciation of the size of this species. I was certainly careful to keep my fingers away from that enormous beak – see the photo below to see what I mean!
This is but one of a number of black cockatoos found in various parts of Australia. This one has several races spread over a wide range. Large numbers can be found in central, western and northern parts of Australia, while smaller numbers are found in an isolated and endangered population in south eastern South Australia and western Victoria.
Red-tailed Black-cockatoo, Adelaide Zoo
Red-tailed Black-cockatoo, Adelaide Zoo
Palm Cockatoo in Adelaide Zoo
Palm Cockatoo, Adelaide Zoo
I delight in visiting my local zoo in Adelaide. I am a long term member and try to visit several times a year, mainly to hone my photography skills. The Adelaide Zoo has an excellent collection of birds in addition to the animals and reptiles, so birds feature prominently in my photos during these visits.
A few months ago I spent several hours there with my wife. We’d been to see a movie and decided to fill in some extra time at the zoo before travelling home. The zoo is an easy walk from the CBD. Besides, my wife hadn’t been to the zoo for a while, so she was eager to also spend time there.
Over coming days I will feature a few of the birds seen on this visit, as well as another visit a week later. Today’s photo shows a Palm Cockatoo, one species I have not yet seen in the wild. In its natural state it inhabits the far northern tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, an area I have yet to visit.
Adelaide Rosellas in our garden
1 Comment »7th July, 2012; Category: Cockatoos and Corellas, Flowers, Garden birds, Murray Bridge, Parrots and Lorikeets
Adelaide Rosella, Murray Bridge, South Australia
In our garden and five acre block of land on the outskirts of Murray Bridge in South Australia we have many different species of birds – over 100 in fact. Of those that are resident or occasional visitors we have a good range of parrots.
Perhaps the most abundant would be the Galah, a very common species in the district with flocks numbering in the many hundreds. Another common species is the Little Corella but this is usually a species which only flies overhead, also in large numbers. Other parrots present in smaller numbers include Rainbow Lorikeets, Purple-crowned Lorikeets and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Mallee Ringnecks are a resident breeding species. One individual keeps company with an Eastern Rosella, a species not normally present around here (I suspect it is a cage escape.)
Every month or so we have a short visit from several Adelaide Rosellas, shown in today’s photos. This is a sub-species of the Crimson Rosella of the eastern states. The Crimson Rosella is a much deeper red colour, while the Adelaide Rosella is more of an orange colour. In the northern parts of its range in South Australia (eg the lower Flinders Ranges) the orange colour can be quite washed out.
The birds which came to visit us last week are much brighter red than most Adelaide Rosellas, leading me to think that they may be moving north from the South East districts of South Australia where the more brightly coloured birds occur. Just a theory. On the other hand, I don’t have to travel too many kilometres west to see the typically washed out orange rosellas common in the Adelaide region.
Adelaide Rosella, Murray Bridge, South Australia
Adelaide Rosella, Murray Bridge, South Australia
Corellas calling
Little Corella
We have many different kinds of parrots visiting our garden and five acre block over the course of the year. Some are resident, like the Mallee Ringnecks, others are only occasional visitors. The Little Corella is one of those infrequent visitors and when they do visit, it’s usually just a “flying visit” – meaning – they just fly over without landing. This is despite the species being present in large flocks of 200 – 500 (or more) along the River Murray only 4 – 5 kilometres away (as the parrot flies).
This morning I was busy attending to something when my attention was drawn to an unusual call outside – unusual for our bird life, that is. I instantly recognised the call of a flock of Little Corellas. I raced outside, noting that there was no time to grab either binoculars or camera, just to see a flock of about 50 quickly disappearing over the trees in the distance.
Never mind; at least I now know that they still know where I live, and are prepared to pay me a visit every now and then, albeit oh so briefly.
The photos on this post were taken last year in the riverside reserve at the nearby town of Mannum.
Good birding.
Little Corella