Dive-bombing cockatoos

[Gunnedah Shire Council <>]

All this talk of dive-bombing magpies etc., reminded me of an incident which
happened when I visited Canberra not so long ago.

A friend and I were walking over a saddle on the eastern end of Red Hill
when we got dive-bombed by sulphur crested cockatoos (or torpedoed might be
a more correct description as they came up at us, rather than down!).
We must have been right in their flightpath - They were flying up the
northern slope, over the saddle and down the soutnern side and headed
straight at us, sometimes swerving and coming back at us from a different
angle.   It was a bit like being strafed by fighter planes!   There didn't
appear to be any real aggression in it, more as if they were playing with
us, but it was rather unnerving as at least 20 birds were involved.

Has anyone else had this sort of thing happen?
                                 Annabel Hoskins - Gunnedah