birding-aus

Huge flock of YTBC

To: "birding aus" <>
Subject: Huge flock of YTBC
From: "Philip A. Veerman" <>
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 21:52:25 +1000
I don't know how many of you are aware that since the major fires that burned down most of the Canberra's pine forests in December 2001 and the much worse fires of January 2003, Canberra has experienced a huge influx and concentration of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos (YTBC). This has generated major interest among COGites. So here is my story of the day:
 
Today from my work desk (I am now working for a GPS engineering business) I believe I watched the biggest congregation of YTBC that I have ever encountered. This flock was not passing by but stayed within the same patch of trees, with new birds arriving in flocks of up to about 40. Counting was not easy but taking them in groups of tens and twenties and observing that they were fairly evenly spread through the trees and even some birds on the ground, almost ignoring that I could only see the western and upper sides of the trees and not at all birds on the eastern side of middle of the trees. This flock of YTBC, simultaneously present, would have been at a minimum 350 birds, possibly as many as 500 of them, in an area of about 1.5 to 2 hectares. Not bad for being in view from my seat at work (although I did go the 3 metre walk to get outside to have a better look). Almost as amazing as the time I saw 27 Wedge-tailed Eagles in a similar sized small group of trees in SW Qld.
 
We also have the Glossy Black-Cockatoo in Canberra now. It has been suggested that with eight cockatoo species in Canberra, we are the world's Cockatoo Capital City. (Admittedly one of these species has only one bird present.) 
 
Philip
 
 
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