Early morning walk
I’m just back from an early morning walk. It was about 15C, crisp fresh, no breeze and cloudless. A perfect morning for a walk.
As I was going along I was aware of several dozen Little Ravens calling nearby. I’ve been aware of many ravens calling near our home over the last week or so. It’s something they tend to do several times a year. They will gather in large numbers, often 30 – 50 or more and commence calling raucously for ten or twenty minutes or more. After a protracted chorus of their calls, especially near the house, one can feel a little annoyed; it can be a penetrating call up close.
Little Raven
I also observed about a dozen Crested Pigeons sitting on the power lines or feeding on the ground. Several of them were giving their elaborate bowing, bobbing and tail fanning display to prospective mates. This species seems to be always breeding around here. Probably why there’s a growing number of them.
We occasionally have lorikeets land to feed in the trees in our garden but more often they just fly over, very rapidly and very noisily. This morning a flock of 10 Purple-crowned Lorikeets went screaming overhead as I walked along, did a 360 turn wheeling around to check me out (or maybe the mallee tree on the side of the road) before streaking off to find another tree in blossom. It’s like having a miniature squadron of fighter jets fly over at close range. The photo below shows a related species, the equally noisy Musk Lorikeet which we also get here from time to time.
Musk Lorikeet
Crimson Rosella, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Crimson Rosella, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
The Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra are a good spot to see some of our beautiful parrots and lorikeets. Two days ago I wrote about the Gang-gang Cockatoo. During our visit back in January this year I also saw Galahs, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets and Eastern Rosellas.
The only other species I was able to get close enough to photograph was a juvenile Crimson Rosella. It let me get quite close but kept in deep shade for most of the time. I had to use the flash to get a reasonable shot (see above). Other photos, like the one below I had to change a little on the computer. (Oh – the joys of birds photography!)
Juvenile Crimson Rosella, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Gang-gang Cockatoos
Male Gang-gang Cockatoo, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
During our visit to the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra in January I was keen to get some photos of the local birds as well as add to my collection of flower and plant photos.
On my last visit some fifteen months previously I had seen and photographed a male Gang-gang Cockatoo. This is one delightful species that I’ve only seen on a handful of occasions previously. On this new visit I was on the lookout for them. I had heard several calling as I left the car park.
I was wandering through the northern part of the gardens looking out for birds and flowers to photograph. I was suddenly aware of a carpet of Acacia seed pods and leaves on the path at my feet. Looking up, I saw a female Gang-gang Cockatoo busily eating seeds no more than two metres above my head. She wouldn’t move in order to pose for me in the open; she must have been hungry.
Further reading: Gang-gang Cockatoo
Female Gang-gang Cockatoo, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Gang-gang Cockatoo
Gang-gang Cockatoo
2007 Australian Capital Territory Trip report #8
During our visit to the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra earlier this year I was delighted to see several Gang-gang Cockatoos. This is a species I do not see all that often because its range is nowhere near where I live.
Gang-gang Cockatoos are found in south eastern New South Wales, southern Victoria and occasionally in the extreme south east of South Australia. While not an abundant species like the Galah, for example, they are moderately common in suitable habitat.
The Gang-gang Cockatoo prefers forests and woodlands where there is more rainfall than on the plains. In the Great Dividing Range, they can be found from sea level through to about 2000 metres altitude. They also prefer timbered watercourses and valleys and can sometimes be found on farmlands and even in suburban gardens.
I’ve only see this species on a handful of occasions over the years. Many years ago when camping in the Snowy Mountains south-west of Canberra I remember an individual sitting in a pine tree eating seeds from the cones. All the parts of the cone he didn’t like were dropped like hail stones on to the top of our car. It is a wonder they didn’t leave any dents as some pieces were quite large.
On this occasion I had the frustration of trying to photograph these beautiful parrots. They seem to like sitting high in the canopy of the trees and not show themselves sufficiently for a good shot. Of the dozen or so photos I managed to get, only the one above was reasonable to show here. It shows a male; the female lacks the red feathers.
Great Birding Moments # 20 Budgerigars
One of Australia’s most beautiful birds would have to be the tiny parrot called the Budgerigar. This species is popular the world over as a cage or aviary bird because they are endearing and easily kept pets as well as beautiful. In captivity there are many colour variations, but I love the natural colours. Why mess with perfection?
Over the years I have observed Budgerigars in the wild on only a handful of occasions, and only once in our garden. The most memorable occasion was during a holiday in Victoria. We were visiting a Nature Reserve south west of Mildura in the far north west of Victoria. We were slowly driving along the dirt track through the park looking for a shady tree for our lunch break. I had to stop the car because there were several hundred Budgerigars feeding on the grass on either side of the track. To see this wonderful bird in its natural environment is a special treat. I did not get a photo at the time, but more recently I took the photo below in the walk through aviary at Cleland Wildlife Park near Adelaide, South Australia.
Budgerigars, Cleland Wildlife Park
Related articles:
- Great Birding Moments – read more of my interesting birding experiences, with photos, in this series of articles.
Update: this photo above – and many other photos featured on this site – can now be purchased on a range of merchandise such as T-shirts, aprons, wall plaques, clocks and mugs. Go to my Trevor’s Photos site here.