Campbell Park was on my revisit list. I visited the area on the last day of December in 2018. Ever since then I had been thinking of heading back, with this Sunday providing the perfect opportunity. The weather was still cold, as testified by one of the ponds having a thin ice cover. I thought I had visited the location at the wrong time of the year because there were not many birds around but arriving at another pond showed me there was still a lot of birds to see, including the ever beautiful Red-rumped Parrots as well as the majestic Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
A frozen pond with a fallen-over sapling
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 200, 18mm, f/8.0 and 1/10 SEC])
A tree deformation probably caused by an insect larvae
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/320 SEC])
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus) seem to fly in small groups. Four of these impressive looking parrots flew in from the south, over my head in a diamond-shaped formation, towards Black Mountain. I initially thought they had flown on past Campbell Park until I heard them nearby and saw them in a tree. The bird in the photograph started lower on the branch but climbed up to where he is in the photograph. The pink skin around the eye marks him as a male. When he was at the top of the branch he called out. He was constantly looking towards the north. Without any apparent reason the three other birds flew off to the north. After a few seconds this bird also flew off in that direction.
Adult male Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
(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])
This Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) was by itself, which is unusual, because they always seem to be in groups.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 312mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
These Crested Pigeons (Ocyphaps lophotes) occupied a dead tree branch. Originally there were seven of these birds perched on the branch. Then gradually, they started to fly away. These birds have a distinctive noise when they start flying, especially when they have been startled. There is a modified primary feather with a gap that makes a loud whoop noise. Researchers believe this is flock warning mechanism to alert surrounding birds to danger.
Crested Pigeons starting to depart
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 312mm, f/8.0 and 1/1000 SEC])
Red-rumped Parrots (Psephotus haematonotus) arrived at this slightly frozen pond for a drink There was possibly enough of a gap to allow the birds to drink. There were two males and two females in this area, although a few metres away, in the grass surrounding the pond, there were more of these parrots. The birds in the grass appeared to be feeding.
Two female Red-rumped Parrots on the left and two males on the right
(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])
This Galah (Eolophus roseicapillus) appeared to be guarding the hollow at its feet. There was another Galah but it flew off. The hollow appeared to have a lot of bite marks inside so it may be a breeding hollow.
A Galah on top of a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 340mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])