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As I was leaving home this morning for work, I was
delighted to confront three Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos demolishing an Albizia
tree in my front yard. The tree has been damaged badly by YTBCs
before. They seem to find larvae in knots where small branches have
formerly broken off. Their activities have sometimes caused a whole branch
to be severed.
Also Satin Bowerbirds. Last week I noticed a
blue SBB flying near the Italian Embassy in Grey St Deakin. The Embassy is
only about 300m from my place as the SBB flies. I will have to search for
a bower in the vicinity. Over the weekend, I saw three (and possibly four)
green birds in my back yard and the adjacent yard. One was making that
amazing growling or churring noise, and another was seemingly foraging for short
sticks on the ground and attempting to break off thin sticks from a tree.
The bird on the ground also briefly put on a display, lowering its body,
spreading its wing and shaking them. These actions all suggest to
me a group of immature male pretenders to the mature bird's throne, rather
than females interested in the old boy himself. I confess that I still can
not distinguish immature males from females despite much gazing at the field
guides.
David Rosalky
Deakin
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