Friday, August 12, 2011

A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOOS

During a stop-over at Halls Gap, a small town in the heart of Grampians National Park, we relaxed an open-air cafe at the Brambuk Cultural Centre for coffee and snacks.
A lone cockatoo flew in and stood on the fencing next to our table.
2 miuntes later, another one arrived.
Then the 3rd one appeared...
....and then another one..
In about 8 miuntes or so there were already five lining up.
These 3 were the daring ones, approaching us for food. They were friendly.
The came nearer once we started feeding them with the leftovers.
It was amazing to get them so close. They were beautiful. Their heads and the undersides of the wings including the tail have a pale yellow or lemon colour.
40 minutes later, flocks of these amazing white birds flew over the valley. They were very noisy as they flew pass. I told my wife that we should leave before more of them come for food.  

The Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos are relatively large white birds found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea. In some parts of Australia, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo can be very numerous, and may cause damage to cereal and fruit crops. They can also be destructive to structures made of timber, such as house planking, garden furniture and trees. They can be  sometimes considered as pests.

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