Glossy Black-Cockatoos

[Charles Hunter <>]

Hi all,

 

Enjoyed observing 4 Glossy Black Cockatoos over 24 hours starting on Saturday 28th at 7.30pm when they were observed flying back and forth over our house at Pearl Beach. They were darting and wailing 10-15 metres over head, close enough for me to identify 2 males and two females. My first Pearl Beach sighting.

 

Pearl Beach and Brisbane Waters National Park are about 1.5 hours north of Sydney.

 

This morning (29th January) I walked to a nearby she-oak forest in Brisbane Waters National Park and could hear them calling and feeding (an interesting te te te te sound). Looking above me I observed 4 birds, again two male and two female. I assume these were the same four, but you never know.

 

I enjoyed a good hour as they moved between 2 casuarinas. I was disturbed at one stage by a male Superb Lyrebird.

 

I came back at intervals throughout the day 11.00am (still four birds feeding in different trees), 1.30pm (could only see two males, not feeding, too hot perhaps), 4.30pm (4 birds [2 males, 2 females], about 50 metres from where I had first seen them, feeding in the one tree).

 

One of the males was not feeding at 4.30. He was softly and repeatedly wailing, sometimes bobbing up and down and raising his crest.

 

An enjoyable observation, much better than that 2 second glimpse that sometimes you feel guilty about ticking it was so short!

 

I have previously seen a male near Oxford Falls, close to Garigal National Park (30 mins from Sydney), but only for a few seconds!

 

Thanks Alan Morris for confirming that Glossy Blacks are moderately common in the Pearl Beach area. I hope it remains that way.

 

Regards,

Charles Hunter

Kings Cross, Sydney

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