Blog Archives
Beautiful female Crimson Rosella
In my recent travels in the Victorian High Country, I came across a gorgeous female Crimson Rosella. She was a little coy. It was great to see her looking so colourful and smart, as the females often look a little dowdy in comparison to the males.
It was interesting to see the greyish colour around her eye, where my bird book shows a continuation of the yellow-green of the head and back.
The next morning, I saw another female which might or might not have been the same bird. An early morning stretch shows off her gorgeous plumage:
Nibbling a bit of breakfast:
Common name: Crimson Rosella
Scientific name: Platycercus elegans elegans
Approximate length: 35 cm
Date spotted: 17-18 February 2025 (summer)
Location: Whitfield, Victoria, Australia: 36°45’43.2″S 146°24’53.4″E
Gang-gang Cockatoos on a river bank
I’ve been in the Victorian High Country for the last few days. This part of the state of Victoria features gorgeous countryside, steep mountain sides, deep valleys, and wide rivers.
In this lovely setting, I spotted my first Gang-gang Cockatoos. It was a great pleasure and privilege to see a group of these quiet birds feeding and chatting in the early morning. Gang-gangs are on the endangered list, considered to be at high risk of extinction in the wild.
In this video, a female Gang-gang Cockatoo stands on a rock at the edge of the Mitta Mitta River, nibbling at the water weeds. It was early morning, and the light was dim. I’d heard the odd creaky noises that this bird and her companions were making, and went to investigate. To make the video, I stood on a footbridge over the river at Taylor’s Crossing Campground.
I love the noises that these birds make. A mix of creaks and growls. It was the sound that led me to investigate, like a cross between the call of a raven and the squawk of a cockatoo. You can hear some of the bird’s soft creaks at the start of the above video.
The name “gang-gang” comes from the Wiradjuri language, and maybe from other Aboriginal Australian languages too. It’s most likely an onomatopoeic word, echoing the noises that the birds make.
It also interesting to see a cockatoo eating a water weed. She chewed through the entire long strand, consuming the whole thing with evident enjoyment.
There were four Gang-gangs at the river: two females, an adult male, and a juvenile male. My photos are a bit fuzzy, due to the early morning dimness.
Here’s the adult male, with his bright red head and crest:
The next photo shows an immature male. The red on his head and crest is just starting to come in. (Ignore the red leaf at the end of the bird’s tail):
Here’s a photo of the female down on the river bank:
Her wispy crest is a soft grey, a bit like a feather duster:
Common name: Gang-gang Cockatoo
Scientific name: Callocephalon fimbriatum
Approximate length: 33-36 cm
Date spotted: 25 February 2025 (summer)
Location: Taylors Crossing Campground, Mitta Mitta River, Victorian High Country, Australia: 36°49’33.7″S 147°39’40.6″E
King Parrots amongst Grevillea flowers
On a recent walk in the bush, I came across a pair of King Parrots. In this video, the female bird feeds amongst the white flowers of a Grevillea bush:
In the background of the video, you can hear two types of cuckoos that have arrived in the area for the summer. First an Eastern Koel, then the raucous hoots of a Channel-billed Cuckoo. Just before the parrot flies off, a Peewee (Mud-lark) shrieks in the distance too.
King Parrots are fairly large parrots, most often seen in pairs. The female has a green chest and neck:
The male’s body and head are bright red. In fact, the male and female look so different that for a while, people thought they belonged to different species:
Here’s the male again, peering cheekily at the camera:
Common name: Australian King Parrot
Scientific name: Alisterus scapularis
Approximate length: 44 cm
Date spotted: 21 November 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’40.6″S 151°14’50.1″E
Cockatoos on a shed roof
A gang of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos dropped by to examine our shed roof and munch some grass seeds. One of the birds rather liked the noise the roof made when he jumped on it. Another bird is rather mucky, with brownish feathers. Perhaps he’s been dumpster diving? It’s interesting watching the interaction between the birds as they share a spray of grass flowers.
Bird on a wire – Eastern Rosella
Eastern Rosellas are medium-sized parrots, found on the east coast of Australia. We’re lucky enough to be visited regularly by a pair of them. I don’t know if it’s the same two birds each time, or if our phone line is somehow part of the flight lines for a family of birds.
In this video, the male Eastern Rosella struts along a phone line, spiffy in his breeding colours. Alas, the background sound is noisy, but you can just hear the bird chirping as he does his little hello dance:
The next picture is somewhat whimsical. It’s what my camera made up when the bird flew off. I love the colours and motion in this picture, even if the bird’s head is off camera:
The female glowed in the sunlight:
The male’s colours are brighter, with the divisions between the coloured sections more clearly defined. Deep blue and black scallops outline the wings, while the rest of the bird is yellow and black, and red and white:
He knows he’s gorgeous!
Common name: Eastern Rosella
Scientific name: Platycercus eximius
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 28 October 2024 (spring)
Location: Allambie Heights, NSW, Australia
Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Five Glossy-Black Cockatoos are frequent visitors to the Casuarina trees on the edge of Manly dam at the moment. Here’s one of the birds:
Common name: Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus lathami
Approximate length: 50cm
Date spotted: 27 October 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Park, near Sydney: 33°46’16.4″S 151°14’30.9″E
Mmm, Mountain Devil flowers make a nice change from those tough Banksia pods!
A Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo contemplates life while demolishing the flower of a Mountain Devil bush.
Common name: Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus funereus or Zanda funereus
Length: 58-65 cm
Date spotted: 26 October 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’40.0″S 151°14’50.2″E
The tranquil parrot: Glossy-black Cockatoos
Of all the various types of cockatoos that we get in our area of Australia, the Glossy-blacks are by far the most restful to be with. When they chatter to each other, their call is a restful croon. They seem to take life easy, with few sudden moves. Watch this one going with the flow while the wind tosses her perch back and forth:
Casuarina seeds are just about the only food that Glossy-black Cockatoos eat. I usually find the birds by the comfortable munching noises that they make, rather than the noisy fuss that other types of cockatoos are fond of making!
This family of three birds has been visiting the Casuarina trees beside one of my current favourite bush walks.
I took these pictures over the period of a week.
It’s interesting that I almost always see these birds in groups of three, most likely an adult male and female, and a juvenile. The bird with yellow around her head is the female of the group. I think this one is the adult male:
Check out some previous sightings of these gorgeous birds.
Common name: Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus lathami
Approximate length: 50cm
Date spotted: 23-27 September 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Park, near Sydney: 33°46’16.4″S 151°14’30.9″E
Corellas chewing yacht ropes
A group of Little Corellas has lately taken a shine to the Forty Baskets Beach area in Balgowlah, NSW. They spend their time in the nearby trees and on the rocks.
The corellas seem to enjoy the sea water trapped in crevices on the rocks. Or perhaps it’s rain water.
The corellas are beautiful, and fun to watch, but I’m rather glad that I don’t have a yacht moored there.
The birds really get into the ropes, watched by their friends:
It’s a good time for all.
When fun at the beach palls, it’s time to find a nook for a bit of canoodling:
This grooming session ended in a squabble:
Common name: Little Corella
Scientific name: Cacatua sanguinea
Approximate length: 36-39 cm
Date spotted: 28 July 2024 (winter)
Location: Forty Baskets Beach, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’15.8″S 151°16’13.9″E
Pale-headed Rosella, my first
I recently paid a visit to Brisbane and stayed in an Airbnb with a gorgeous garden. Every morning, as the sun came up, birds visited the flowering Grevilleas outside our window. One morning, this beautiful bird was among them:
It’s my first sighting of a Pale-headed Rosella. They’re not found in the Sydney area, but are common further north in NSW and Queensland. I love the soft colours and gentle manner of this bird.
Common name: Pale-headed Rosella
Scientific name: Platycercus adscitus
Approximate length: 28-32 cm
Date spotted: 6 July 2024 (winter)
Location: The Gap, Brisbane, Queensland (approximate map reference)
Sydney Birder 