I have often seen a pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos in a group of trees on the way home from work, when I do not have my camera. We also once had a pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos come to our backyard feeder; on the day I was rushing to an appointment so I did not have a chance to get my camera to take any photographs. On this Sunday, I decided, since the weather was so nice, I would try to find the Gang-gang Cockatoos that seem to frequent this neighbourhood. I am glad I went out, as not only did I briefly find the Gang-gangs, I also captured a few other interesting sights with my camera. It was a lovely finish to the weekend.
I walked down to the park where I thought I might find the Gang-gangs. It took me a little while but I did find a pair. I saw the female clearly at first. She was eating some bark from a tree, you can see her at the top of this post. A young bike rider, then an older couple, stopped to look at what I was photographing. I could see the female was reacting to the attention and she flew away. As she took off, the male took off from the branches of the same tree as well, but I had not noticed him until that time. I did see him later, high up in a conifer tree in someone's yard so I was able to get some shots. The origin of their common name is not clear. While most writers agree the name came from an Australian Aboriginal term their is dispute over which language. The Gang-gang Cockatoo is the faunal emblem of the ACT, appearing also as the emblem of the territory's conservation service. It is a beautiful bird, which has, in the recent past, been targeted by bird smugglers. I was happy to see this pair but I am still determined to get some better shots. The top two photographs are of the female while the bottom two are of the male, with his beautiful red crest.
Not far from the where the Gang-gangs were I could hear a lot of chirping in a tree but I could not see any birds, until a Noisy Miner flew in to sit on its nest. The nest was constructed from twigs, although there may have been some human rubbish in there as well. I was amazed at the nest's location in a branch, just above a t-junction in the path through the park. It was not high up, an easy arms-length should somebody decide to reach up. Two birds were in attendance, with neither bird reacting to my presence. I know miners are not liked because of their well-deserved reputation for chasing off other birds but I did feel excited to see this sign of a new generation. I will keep an eye on what happens, to see when the new chicks emerge.
Speaking about Noisy Miners buzzing other birds, here is a picture I was able to snap of a Noisy Miner swooping at a group of feeding Eastern Rosellas. The Noisy miner is at the top right of the picture with the rosellas all having slightly different reactions to the harassment.
A swooping Noisy Miner disturbing a group of Eastern Rosellas
I realised I have not snapped a Crested Pigeon for a while yet they are all around the neighbourhood. One of them was in the right spot on my walk to find the Gang-gangs so I paused to snap a shot.
A cooperative Crested Pigeon
The other bird in great abundance around the neighbourhood is the always charismatic Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. I found a small group feeing on the ground as well as a single one high in a conifer. They are always active at this time of day. They are gregarious, being heard well before they are seen. I also took two shots of the birds taking off. The shots are far from perfect but I think I see an improvement.
