Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

[Carl Clifford <>]

The behaviour described by  Fiona Anderson seems to be an extreme  
version of the play behaviour described by B.Roberts where Eider Ducks  
would repeatedly leap into a tidal rip, ride the rip and then walk  
(sometimes run) along a sand spit to the the start of the rip and leap  
in again. An avian form of white-water rafting. If this "truck- 
surfing" is fairly common amongst SCCs, perhaps a good percentage of  
the dead SCC bodies along the expressway might be those of SCC's which  
did not get their timing right, a rather dramatic form of Darwinian  
selection. Preventing this behaviour would be as much as a problem as  
preventing human teenagers engaging in the same type of selection.
Carl Clifford.

> On 17/02/2008, at 12:42 PM, Anthony Purdon wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
>
> I wasn't sure where to direct this email, hope you can help me with  
> this?
>
>
> Recently whilst searching through threads on 'Birding - Aus' for any
> reference to what I see is the plight of 'Sulphur Crested Cockatoos'  
> along
> the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne, I came across this following  
> article (part
> thereof):
>
>
>
>
>
> Kamikaze Cockatoos
>
>
>
>
> Fiona Anderson  wrote:
>
>
>
> Hello all,
>
>
>
> Further to Carol's sighting, on many occasions I have seen Sulphur- 
> crested
> Cockatoos riding the ?wave? of air a few feet in front of large trucks
> travelling at nearly 100km/h along the Eastern Freeway in  
> Melbourne.  The
> first time I was following a truck and saw a cockatoo fly above and  
> then
> drop in front of the truck. I expected to see a puff of white  
> feathers as
> the bird was hit.  No such sight.  Instead, about 10 seconds later  
> the bird
> suddenly reappeared and flew into a nearby tree with its crest  
> raised and in
> full screech.  I have since seen it from other angles and the  
> cockatoos do
> indeed surf the pressure wave for a few seconds.  I have no doubt  
> that this
> behaviour is deliberate.  Maybe a possible future research project is
> adrenaline addiction in Cockatoos!
>
>
>
> Happy Birding,
>
>
>
> Susie
>
>
>
>
>
> However, what I see as I drive West and East along the Freeway are a
> collection of 'Sulphur Crested Cockatoos' scattered along the verges  
> of the
> Freeway or plastered across the asphalt that haven't been successful  
> at
> evading traffic, let alone surfing the pressure wave in front of large
> trucks!
>
>
>
> There is no doubt that the Freeway is going to get busier this year  
> with the
> opening of the 'Eastern Freeway Extension' and more Cockatoos will  
> succumb
> to being fatally wounded on that stretch of road.
>
>
>
> The questions I ask are, "Have any birding groups undertaken research
> concerning this/these flocks/s of Cockatoos along the Eastern  
> Freeway, i.e.
> are the flocks diminishing in size or endangered?" and "Would it be a
> reasonable idea to have signage established along the Freeway to  
> bring to
> drivers consciousness that these Cockatoos are Freeway users as well  
> and
> caution needs to be taken?"
>
>
>
> Thanks for your assistance.
>
>
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
>
>
> Anthony Purdon
>
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