The Australian Galah

Australian parrot known as the Galah

We have many beautiful parrots here in Australia. Most people living here would have noticed several species of parrot in their everyday lives, even if they are not birders (bird watchers). One of the most easily recognised of Australian parrots would have to be the Galah. It was once called a Rose-breasted Cockatoo, a much more poetic name than Galah, in my opinion.

Over recent weeks, the Galahs around our home and garden here in Murray Bridge, South Australia, have been going stir crazy. We usually have small flocks of 5 to 50 Galahs fly over our house every hour or so. Sometimes the flocks can range up to 500 or more birds together. That is a spectacular sight. And noisy, too.

 Frequently they will land in one or more of the trees near our house, creating quite a noisy racket. In the last few weeks, they have been behaving in an erratic way, flying around and around, squawking loudly and wheeling around in the air above our property. I am not sure what has got into them. In the past, this behaviour is common during rainy days, but we haven't had one of those in a while. Strange.

Australian parrot known as the Galah

The photos I am showing today are from another time. These shots were taken from our cabin in one of the caravan parks in Mudgee, New South Wales. We were on our way home and it was a balmy evening. My wife and I sat on the deck of the cabin enjoying a late afternoon cuppa, just before we had our dinner. I noticed a Galah in a nearby tree, lit up beautifully by the setting sun. a few moments later, the female popped her head out of a hollow in the eucalypt tree. I figured that they were nesting and the were probably preparing the hollow for their eggs.

You can read more about Galahs here, and read more about Australian birds on my other site, Trevor's Birding.

Australian parrot known as the Galah

Australian parrot known as the Galah

Happy Christmas

Red-capped Robin

I wish all of my readers a very Happy and Blessed Christmas.

Instead of writing lots about some of the Australian birds I have seen and photographed, 

today I will just share a few of my favourite photos of birds.

Have a great time over Christmas - New Year.

Keep safe - and join me again in 2016 for more photos. 

Trevor

Silvereye - an Australian bird

The Australian Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

 

Australian Ringneck Parrot

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Some months ago my wife and I visited the Dubbo Zoo, an open-range zoo in the mid-west of New South Wales. This zoo is run by Taronga Zoo in Sydney and is an easy day's drive from Sydney. We had just spent a few weeks with our son and our grandchildren in Sydney and we were having an extended holiday in various parts of the state.

On the first day of our visit to the Dubbo Zoo - tickets are valid for two days as there is so much to see - we sat in the evening calm watching the monkeys in a nearby enclosure near the Visitor Centre. A solitary Sulphur-crested Cockatoo flew in and perched just above where the monkeys were having a feed. This was not a captive bird and like so many of the local birds it wasn't slow about inviting itself to feed on the leftovers from the zoo animals.

Cockatoos, Corellas and Galahs, as well as Lorikeets and many other parrot species are very common throughout Australia. In fact, some years ago I saw a wonderful video about our parrot species and it was titled "Land of Parrots". An apt description of Australia.

You can read more about our Australian birds on my other site called Trevor's Birding here.

Cosy Galahs in the morning sun

Galahs in the early morning sun

I took the photo above one very cold, frosty morning at the Laratinga Wetlands in Mt Barker, South Australia. The two parrots - presumably a breeding pair - were taking advantage of the early morning sunshine to warm up. They certainly look a cosy pair.

Earlier on I had seen them - I assume it was the same two - at a nearby hollow in the same tree. I wrote about that sighting and showed two other photos here.

The Australian parrot we know as the Galah is sometimes known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo. It's commonly called a "cocky" and is often kept as a much loved pet, frequently living in people's homes and learning to mimic a range of human words, especially greetings. "Hello, Cocky" greets visitors to such a home, for example.

This species is also a frequent visitor to our home garden here in Murray Bridge.  On occasions we have seen flocks numbering in the many hundreds flying overhead. With their raucous screeching it is hard to miss them.

Why not take a look over at Trevor's Birding, my other site about Australian birds?

Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo

Art work depicting a Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo

One of the interesting aspects of a visit to the Laratinga Wetlands in Mt Barker, South Australia is the new art installation in the picnic area. On my recent visit I saw these art works - four of them - for the first time. The one below depicts an Aboriginal Elder, reflecting the importance of these lands to the traditional owners.

The art work shown above depicts one of the significant bird species of this area, the large and noisy Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo. These birds are frequently seen flying overhead in this part of the Adelaide Hills, often in small groups up to a half dozen, and occasionally in larger flocks from a dozen or so through to a hundred of more. Elsewhere, in the south east of the state, I once saw a flock I estimated to be over 300; the noise they made was deafening as they flew overhead.

I invite readers to check out my other site about Australian birds - Trevor's Birding.

Art work depicting an Aboriginal Elder

Australian Galah sunning itself

Female Australian Galah sunning itself

The Australian parrot known as the Galah is one of many beautifully colourful birds we have in Australia. Also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo or just simply as a "cocky" this species is common throughout much of Australia and is easily recognisable by most Australians, even those who have little interest in birds. It is also a commonly kept pet bird and is able to be taught to say a few words.

This particular bird was sunning herself on the trunk of a large old gum tree (eucalypt tree) in the Laratinga Wetlands in Mt Barker, South Australia, a short drive from my home and about a half hour drive from the CBD of Adelaide. Below in another shot, complete with presumably the male cleaning out a hollow getting ready for nesting. I know the bird above is a female; they have red eyes while the males have brown or black eyes.

For more photos and stories about Australian birds go to my other site Trevor's Birding.

Female Galah parrot with the male in the hollow below

Australian Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos in Australia

Australia is rightly called the Land of Parrots. We have a huge range of parrots, nearly all of them very colourful and much sort after by bird lovers and aviculturalists around the world. One of these spectacular parrot species is the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, a primarily white parrot with a stunning yellow crest. In a flock of many dozens these raucous birds can create an ear-splitting noise as they fly over. A flock of hundreds is something else again!

To see more photos of Australian birds go to my other site, Trevor's Birding here.

Long-billed Corellas in the Adelaide Hills

Long-billed Corellas in the Mt Lofty Ranges

One of my favourite places to go birding is at the Laratinga Wetlands on the eastern edge of the town of Mt Barker here in South Australia. These artificial wetlands were constructed over a decade ago to deal with the town's waste water. Many plantings around the wetlands assure birders of a good range of bush birds in addition to the many water birds which have moved in.

On a visit some time ago I saw a small flock of Long-billed Corellas in one of the larger trees near the wetlands. This is an unusual sighting because the Little Corella is far more abundant in the Mt Lofty Ranges when compared with the Long-billed. That makes this photo even more interesting.

You can read more about Australian birds on Trevor's Birding.

A mean looking cockatoo

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo from Australia

A few months ago I was driving through the streets of Adelaide when I saw a small flock of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos low down in a street tree. I stopped and whipped out the camera. The birds obligingly posed for me while I took a few photos. This one was very curious about what I was doing with my camera. With a beak like that I'm sure he was wanting to take a chuck out of my finger.

Or perhaps he was just curious and meant me no harm.

Read more about Australian birds on my other site, Trevor's Birding.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo of Australia

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo of Australia

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo of Australia is a beautiful bird and much loved as a pet. It is quite an accomplished mimic and some have mastered an interesting and varied vocabulary.

In the natural environment they are locally very common, gathering in large raucous flocks. Wild birds can be very destructive, chewing the woodwork around houses and other buildings.

The two shown in today's photo were investigating a tree hollow in Burnside, a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia.

For more photos of Australian Birds, check out my other site, Trevor's Birding.

Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo of Australia

Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo of Australia

The Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo of Australia is a truly spectacular bird. I've seen this species in flocks of many hundreds and it is quite an unforgettable experience. This is one of the larger species of Australian parrot and is locally common in some areas but threatened in other parts of its range.

The photograph above is of a trained bird which is a part of the Bird Show at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

For more information and photos of Australian Birds, go to my other site, Trevor's Birding.

Spectacular Red-tailed Black-cockatoo of Australia

Red-tailed Black-cockatoo of Australia

The Red-tailed Black-cockatoo of Australia is a truly spectacular bird. Not only is it large and noisy, its colours are also amazing.

I've only seen this species in the natural environment on a handful of occasions. This photograph was taken during the Bird Show at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney a few years ago.

To read more about Australian birds, go to my other site, Trevor's Birding.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are found throughout northern, eastern and south eastern Australia. Their preferred habitat includes eucalyptus woodlands and forests and temperate rainforests. In the right conditions they can form flocks of a hundred or more, sometimes in association with Corellas.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are much prized as a pet and can be taught to say a few words. On the other hand, wild birds are able to cause damage to wooden structures on houses and other buildings, bringing them in conflict with humans. Despite this they are fully protected by law.

To find out more about Australian birds click here.