> Saw a great collection of black cockatoos, maybe 50, flocking in Centennial
> park on Sunday. Is this common? Why?
I can't answer the question but I dearly hope they are becoming part
of our impoverished inner-Sydney avifauna. I saw a single YTBC fly
high over Glebe calling, two weekends ago. Such an evocative
sound and sight.
Actually, urban birding was hot last weekend too. Spangled Drongo on
nest door's TV antenna and then a walk to the park with Tom (who is 2)
produced an immature Striated Heron. Despite lots of people and dogs
about, the Heron was hunting from a boom across the stormwater canal
that bisects our harbourside park.
Tom and I sat about 10m away while the Heron fished. I expect Tom would
have been cross if he'd fully understood what was happening. The small
Mullet in the stormwater canal are usually the highlight of visits to the
park. The Mullet have been very hard to find in recent weeks and perhaps
we know why now.
Anyway with two Pacific Black ducks on the harbour, a pair of Kookaburras
nesting in a burrow excavated in a Palm tree, a Crested Pigeon, a couple
of Figbirds and a squadron of Pelicans soaring over on their way to the
Fish Markets this is as about as good as Glebe birding gets. Who needs
tropical rainforest and pelagic trips.
For those who don't know Sydney and have read this far, Glebe almost
adjoins Sydney's CBD. It has many coffee shops and restaurants but
almost no original vegetation.
Andrew Taylor
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