Cacatua galerita galerita
April 11, 2005: Hyde Park, Sydney, New South Wales
OMG! We were nearly through the park on the way back to the hotel when I spotted large white birds on the grass. When I realized what they were, I was SO excited. OMG! Cockatoos! Genuine, honest-to-goodness WILD cockatoos! It was almost unbelievable to me to see them there foraging on the ground for food and I’d half-convinced myself that they can’t possibly be wild – they must have been escaped pets. But no, the book says there are large flocks in the cities. OMG! SO INCREDIBLY COOL! They are really pretty and it’s funny to see a bird so familiar, and yet be seeing it for the first time. These two foraged for only a few minutes and then flew up into the tree making a rather horrible screeching noise, and began displaying their crests and raising their wings – trying to chase away a couple of ravens in the tree. It looked as though the ravens were interested in a nest, but I couldn’t tell for certain. The cockatoos made quite a fuss, as did a couple of Noisy Miners. I really loved seeing these birds!
Continue reading “Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo” →