Wattle blossoms are a beautiful sight in mid-winter Melbourne and up close each blossom looks like a tiny golden sun. A couple of days ago, just as the sun was setting, a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo landed at the very top of a tree in my garden, and started pruning.
1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 200, handheld
Canon R5, Canon 600 f/4L IS USM
I had to grab my camera super quickly as the sun was only shining on the top of the tree and it was setting fast.
1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 200, handheld
Canon R5, Canon 600 f/4L IS USM
Although the cocky seemed to nibble on some of the blossoms the main thing it did was to snap branches with its strong bill and drop them to the ground.
1/1000, f/4, ISO 200, handheld
Canon R5, Canon 600 f/4L IS USM
In the image above you can clearly see part of its joyous pruning. It was pretty comical to watch as a sea of wattle blossoms piled up on the grass.
I am very fond of these cockatoos. Sometimes they fly in a screeching mob around my place, or hang upside down from branches, spreading their wings as they call. At other times a lone bird will sneak a quick visit to harvest my apples and apricots. They are a magnificent species and I often think about The Bird that Touched my Heart that I wrote about in an earlier post.
Happy birding, Kim
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They are such larrikin birds – and very Australian in their cheekiness! At my local primary school a while back, I saw a huge flock of cockies swoop down on a patch of tall sunflowers that the kids had grown in their school garden. The birds were making such a joyful screeching racket, that lots of kids rushed out of their classrooms to watch the spectacle, as the cockies feasted on the sunflower seeds. The kids were laughing their little heads off, and were as excited as the birds, and I was so glad to see that the teachers didn’t shoo the cockies away. ‘These birds need the nourishment – it’s getting harder for them to find a good feed.’ I said to one of the teachers through the fence – and she agreed with me.
Those cockies swooping down and screeching away, provided a brilliant, spontaneous wildlife lesson for those kids, who reluctantly went back inside their classrooms after about half an hour. I’ve never forgotten it – and I hope those kids haven’t either! Your photos are gloriously golden today, Kim – what a sharp and sensitive eye you have!
They are definitely larrikins! That story about the children’s sunflowers is brilliant. I was a primary school teacher and was delighted that the teachers didn’t shoo the cockies away. I bet the children will remember it, absolutely magical. Thanks for sharing the story Deirdre, it’s a smile-maker, Kim
Beautiful. Resonating marvellously with these cockatoo and wattle images. Thank you.
You are so welcome Janine, I’m glad you like the images, Kim
I also have a very, very soft spot for the sulphur crested vandals. I would prefer that they didn’t behead and shred my spring bulbs, or worse dig the bulbs up, take a bite and move on, but I love them anyway.
They are such scallywags – my wattle tree could handle the pruning far more easily than your poor bulbs!