Felix Wilson sent these nice shots of a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, photographed in the early morning sun's rays on the Queen's Domain in Hobart, last Thursday. He comments that this was a
lone bird and that he usually expects to see them in flocks and maybe this was an outcast of some sort. He also mentioned that the Domain is a good spot for Eastern Rosellas, pardalotes and the ever present Noisy Miners.
[The bird pictured is most probably an immature female, but I'll stand to be corrected by someone who has more experience with this species. Certainly, I haven't been aware of the large flocks that were around 15 or more years ago,
but they seem to turn up more frequently these days in coastal heath and in the suburbs, including my garden, where they made short work of the cones of one of my Banksia Integrifolia! ed]
I've seen the YTBC's numerous times on the Domain, also. Like Felix, I generally think of them as being in flocks - usually 3 to 7 or 8 birds on the Domain, though in much larger flocks in some places. Even when I'v only located a lone bird from a call, i usually find the others feeding quietly somewhere nearby. Maybe Felix is right - this one might have been 'on the outer'.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Great photos, Felix. The bird let you get really close! I wonder if that's another indication there was something not quite right, as I generally find them pretty wary.
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