The banksias are in seed, and the black cockatoos are in town! Out strolling in the bush today, I came across a large group of these majestic birds. Their raucous squawks are typical cockatoo, but they add a wild, shrieking call that sounds more like a fish eagle, and a chitter chatter that’s all their own.

The first video shows a dead tree with plenty of interesting cavities and perches for a curious cockatoo. You can hear the wild calls as the birds take off and land.

In the next video, the birds chatter and call to each other as they clamber around the same dead tree. I hadn’t heard this type of chatter from black cockatoos before today.

What does a gum tree full of black cockatoos sound like? This is the same flock, high up in a gum tree.

Details of this sighting

Common name: Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus funereus

Approximate length: 65 cm

Date spotted: 27 August 2016

Season: Late winter

Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia

Latitude/longitude: 33°46’50.7″S 151°14’53.7″E

A few days earlier

The following video and photos show an encounter with a group of the birds a few days earlier (22 August) in a different area of the reserve (33°46’35.1″S 151°15’16.7″E).

Perched high above the bush:

A final cheeky look: