Red Hill Nature Reserve had, unfortunately, been off my schedule for a couple of weeks due to some unforeseen events but I was finally able to get back there on this Sunday morning. It was good to get back to Red Hill as that day was a lovely spring morning with a lot of wonderful birdlife. I saw a number of Gang-gang cockatoos, including a pair mating. I also saw a number of Rainbow Lorikeets and had a wonderful time trying to get a good picture of a Crimson Rosella, who was very patient with me. It was a wonderful morning, and just what I needed. I hope you like the photographs below.
Black Mountain with fog seen from Red Hill
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 100mm, f/16 and 1/200 SEC])
Mist appearing to rise from a log
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/125 SEC])
Gang-gang Cockatoos (Callocephalon fimbriatum) were all over Red Hill, which is a good sign as we are entering breeding season. I saw two near a tree where there had been successful breeding last year. Initially, they were both eating in a eucalyptus tree. The female then flew to the branch the male was on, but he flew to another branch. She hesitated but then followed him to the second branch. Without any calling the male mounted the female’s back to begin mating with her. They were in this situation for for approximately three minutes according to my photo timings, although I think there was a pause as the male appeared to crawl off her back then back on to it. It is hard not to be anthropomorphic when looking at these two birds, as they “kiss’ bills while mating, with the female appearing to be in raptures of pleasure. The male sometimes appeared distracted, looking off in another direction, while the female seemed to remain in a state of ‘enjoyment’. The male then put out his wing, his right one I think. Unfortunately, I was moving locations trying to get a better angle so I missed his action. In my previous times observing mating I knew this meant the end of the event and sure enough he crawled off her. They both stayed on the tree branch together for a little while, in a slightly dishevelled state, before the male flew off to the east while the female stayed in the tree.
Female Gang-gang Cockatoo eating
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/200 SEC])
The mating pair early in the activity
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/200 SEC])
Towards the end the male appeared distracted, sometimes looking off in one direction
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/200 SEC])
The male dismounting
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/200 SEC])
The next group of Gang-gang Cockatoos were further up the hill, again in an area where there had been a successful breeding last year. Initially I saw two birds, a male and female, then I realised there were two pairs. The photograph below shows the female with two males. It was not clear if these were two breeding pairs or a ‘family unit’. The female was missing her left eye, the same as the female in one of the successful couples last year.
A one-eyed female with two males further up Red Hill
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Another Gang-gang Cockatoo pair were in a tree that has been previously used by Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Both birds appeared to quickly inspect the longer hollow while the female also inspected the smaller hollow shown in the photograph.
A female inspecting a hollow in a tree used by Sulphur-crested Cockatoos last season
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A Gang-gang Cockatoo male was inspecting a hollow in a tree of a front garden in Hughes. The hollow faced out onto the road so was not very isolated or quiet. He did not stay long and I was a little slow in getting a shot of him, hence why the photograph is blurry.
Blurry photograph of a male departing after checking the hollow behind him in a tree in a front garden
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/320 SEC])
There were two Crimson Rosellas (Platycercus elegans) in a tree previously used by Gang-gangs for breeding, although they were on the side used by Rainbow Lorikeets last year. One of the rosellas was a juvenile who may have been close to being a fledging as its feathers appeared to not be complete yet. The other bird was an adult. The adult was close to the hollow used by the Rainbow Lorikeets last year so I am not sure if the rosellas had used it this year. He was preening himself and occasionally calling. The calling appeared to be answered by a Crimson Rosella in another tree. This other rosella moved closer to the first tree but still kept its distance. This rosella was also reasonable calm in letting me get close to take some photographs of it.
Juvenile Eastern Rosella in a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Adult Crimson Rosella in the same tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Close-up of a nearby Crimson Rosella
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
A full view of the same bird
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The first pair of Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus) I saw were near the tree with the Crimson Rosella juvenile, making me wonder if they had been the occupants last year. They were in a tree to the west of the rosellas but did not stay long.
Rainbow Lorikeet
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
There were four Rainbow Lorikeets further into Red Hill. The tree they were in was located in a re-entrant and the birds were making a lot of noise at a tree hollow. Some Sulphur-crested Cockatoos were also in the tree although neither species seemed to be acting aggressively to the other. There was a large tree hollow and the lorikeets seemed to be moving around the edges making a lot of noise, almost sounding an alarm. That was the noise that had caught my attention and I thought some animal had raided their nest but I could not see any movement in the hollow. One pair approached the hollow first but neither of the birds landed on the edge of the hollow, just nearby it. I thought I heard a dull growl from inside but I am not certain. The first pair eventually flew away. By that stage, the second pair were at a different part of the tree. They flew back to the hollow by stages. They were initially like the first pair, moving around the edge, but not actually landing on the edge of the hollow. One of them eventually moved on to the lip of the hollow but did not stay long before retreating a little distance away. Nothing attacked the bird but the bird seemed agitated by something in the hollow.
A group of Rainbow Lorikeets checking out a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
There was a lot of activity around the hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])
The second pair were braver in checking out the hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])
At least one Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops) was moving through a flowering eucalyptus tree taking pollen from the flowers. There were a number of birds in the canopy but I could not confirm what species they were and I think there may have been other honeyeaters there.
Yellow-faced Honeyeater consuming pollen
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) was checking out some hollows on the north side of Red Hill. The hollows were in several trees, all of which had been used by Gang-gangs in the past. The cockatoo was swooped by a nearby magpie, which seemed to stop the cockatoo from flying higher up the hill.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo inspecting a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
There were two Australian Magpies (Cracticus tibicen) in the area near where the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo was, indeed, one of the magpies swooped the cockatoo, stopping the bird moving further up the hill.
Australian Magpie
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])