On the path to Hell's Gates today
I saw one large goanna
slithering under the pandanus leaves
one small frill neck lizard
standing on a rock
looking out to sea
a number of pods of small dolphins
and a family group of black cockatoos
Dad is holding a banksia nut
the flower seeds of the banksia shrub
and he is using his beak and dexterous tongue
to pick the seeds out
He's the dad because he has a pink eye ring
and a dull yellow cheek patch
and he's BIG
over here in the banksia
is another male
the males have a darker beak
and lighter yellow patch
look at his
beak and tongue up close
and the way he grasps the nut
in his claws
Alaine my blog friend has told me
that cockatoos always grasp food
with their left feet
isn't that fascinating...
and left behind in the tree
and indignant is a juvenile
making quite a noise
until she too takes flight
to join her family
See her tail
These are yellow tailed Black Cockatoos
the biggest of the cockatoos
and they usually herald the advent of rain
They flap deeply and slowly
in a heavy fluid motion
you can hear them coming
by their wing beats
and their loud eerie mournful wailing callsI have seen them
in this cluster of banksia trees before
perhaps it's a favourite family haunt...
