Aerial-batics

Here's a series of photos of Carnaby's cockatoos enjoying perching on TV aerials in Victoria Park.

Peacan eating party

Screech, flap

Mmmm....Macadamia (Green A enjoys a Macadamia nut)

Bounce, bounce

Thanks for the sightings

We've now had sightings reported from Shenton Park, Subiaco, Claremont, Mosman Park, Kensington, Victoria Park and Girrawheen. Most of these suburbs have had multiple sightings. Keep them coming!

The paint is fading but you can still see the emerald green colour. I took this photo of a green-tailed cockatoo today.

The cockatoos were quite coorperative this morning allowing me to move amongst them as they had their breakfast of Banksia menziesii. I watched this interaction between a pair of Carnaby's cockatoos and a wattle bird.

and watched this youngster almost fall of its perch...

Living dangerously

This is a photo I recently took along Underwood Ave early in the morning. I was following the birds as they left their night roost at Perry Lakes. A heart stopping moment but thankfully this time no cockatoos were injured.

 

Carnaby's cockatoos feeding on Banksia prionotes in road median strip


If you are travelling in the area please slow down along Underwood Ave in Shenton Park where the Banksias and Eucalypts are flowering.

Great Cocky Count

The Great Cocky Count is this Sunday 15th April. It is an annual snapshot survey to find out how many Carnaby's cockatoos are using the Swan Coastal Plain (and beyond).

Please contact Tamara Kabat (Birdlife Australia) if you'd like to participate. For more details please see the information sheet.

If you do participate, please look out for my tail marked birds and report sightings of them to me. This is a great opportunity to find out how far they have dispersed.

If you have registered to be a volunteer for the count you will have received an information pack/email which includes my contact details and a number to call if you see a green-tailed cockatoo during your survey. I would like to try to follow them when they leave the roost in the morning so please call me to report your sighting as soon as you can (even late that night).

First sighting

I received the first report of a sighting of a green tailed black cockatoo today (thanks Marg!).

It was seen this morning in Underwood Ave bushland. Photographic proof too.

Green D sighting (Photo by M. Owen)

The individual sighted had been in rehabilitation since 2008 which was the longest out of this release group.

Great to see these birds get a second chance.

Fly, be free!

We released nine rehabilitated  Carnaby's cockatoos at Perry Lakes yesterday evening.

A video of the release is available here.

The marks that we have made to the white panels of their tail feathers are noticeable. This release group is coloured green. The next release will be a different colour. An individual identifying letter has been marked on each tail feather as well.

Have you seen a tail marked Carnaby's cockatoo?

Please contact me if you have.

Cockatoo release postponed

Our first attempt at releasing the cockatoos went well until a fire started less than 2km from the release site. We were all ready to go with the birds safe in pet packs and about 50 people, mostly volunteers from Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Rehabilitation Centre and Native Animal Rescue, turned up to watch. It was a noisy place to be with all the helicopers and planes circling around to drop water on the flames as well as fire engines with sirens screaming. Not the best environment to release a group of cockatoos so we chose to postpone the release.