Corellas are such entertaining characters. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve spent time lying on a damp hill watching Little Corellas at play, the late afternoon light didn’t make photography easy but I tried to get images that captured the fun.
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/400mm, f/6.3, ISO 400, focal length 400mm
There was a crazed sqawking on the hill with scores of Little Corellas wrestling in pairs. One bird from each pair was on its back while the other shrieked, spread its wings and often nibbled the toes of its partner! For the image above I crawled slowly towards the birds, not wanting to risk disturbing them but very aware that the foreground was already in shade as the sun was setting, and hoping the light would last long enough for an image or two. I took these images just as the shadow of the earth reached the birds. Their behaviour is echoed in the out of focus pair in the background.
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 400, focal length 260mm
The corellas were very dramatic. I didn’t see any of the birds change roles, I wonder if they do, I wonder if the behaviour has been researched. In the image above the prone bird appears to be cowering while the upright bird expresses dominance; I didn’t get that feeling while watching them, it seemed more of a dance.
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/500, f/6.3, ISO 400, focal length 285mm
I like this exuberant pose, above, and the way the Little Corella’s wings are catching the last of the day’s light.
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/640, f/8.0, ISO 250, focal length 330mm
As the sun went down the corellas left the hill and took to the trees where they played crazy dangling games in the shade where it was too dark to get a clear image. Others preened and posed, like the Little Corella above, in the last rays of sunshine. This bird’s feathers look so soft as it watched me from its lofty perch. The groves on the branch look like borer damage but it’s curious how they stop so abruptly.
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 125, focal length 400mm
I visited the lake again the following week and when the sun was just about set I had the pleasure of watching the couple above canoodling. There wasn’t quite enough light for the photo but I include it because the memory makes me smile. Little Corellas are believed to mate for life and these two were very tender with each other.
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 100, focal length 400mm
Little Corellas feed mainly on grass seeds and bulbs. Seeing flocks of them on the ground or in trees is a beautiful sight. However, some communities are bothered by the noise, pollution and damage to trees, crops, ovals and property.
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 100, focal length 390mm
The Little Corellas were picking grass which had no seeds. They focused on the cut end of the grass which they squished before dropping. Because the corellas were on the side of a small hill I was able to change the background to sky by lying completely flat and looking up at the birds. It was a little damp but not too bad, the funny thing was getting up to find that I was covered in grass clippings that the corellas had discarded.
Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris)
Canon 7D, 100-400mm L IS USM, 1/640, f/6.3, ISO 100, focal length 365mm
I was preparing to leave when a Long-billed Corella waddled over the horizon and stared straight into my camera lens. Their bills are longer than the bills of Little Corellas and they have a distinct orangy-red crescent across their chests. They use their long, curved bill to prise up tufts of grass by the roots.
It is exactly a year ago that lirralirra went live and since then there have been almost 5000 visits to the site from 75 countries. During the year I have found many inspiring blogs where kindred spirits share their images and love of nature – what a wonderful world we share.
Happy birding, Kim
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