Yesterday I saw the first two yellow-tailed black cockatoos of the season. They're appearing earlier & leaving later each year, probably due to improved habitat in this previously moonscaped environment.
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That's good to hear Woko, I wish I could be as privileged as you to have them around for a long time instead of only seeing them briefly on rare occasions.
Where I live I have seen some even today,(the Gang-Gangs are missing!),but what brings tears to my eyes, is the fact that people are happy to see two or tree, there should be hundreds!! In my area still 20 years ago, so the farmers in Gembrook told me, there were huge flocks following them on their tractors, just like hundreds of cockatoos did. There were Gang-Gangs everywhere..... What have we done to nature? What has nature ever done to us, to deserve this?
M-L
Araminta.... I think I am lucky to have the birds I do, but I have spoekn to a woman whose house I passed daily on my walks, and she said that the area surrounding her now suburban house used to be home to flocks of up to a hundred or more Yellow Tailed Blacks,,,, and she is not that old! Down came the trees and in went the hosues ...bye bye YTBs. Now they fly across only when they are on their way to the National Park area every day during September etc. At least they have a park to live in nearby I guess.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Don't get me started, guys!!! Anyway, the good news is that by Sunday 2nd October we had a flock of 11 yellow-tailed black cockatoos around all day. None today, tho'.
How great to be able to see the Yellow-tails regularly - we saw heaps when we were in WA and NT, also the red-tailed ,(though we have seen them in Queensland) got to love them and their antics. I have never seen a Gang-Gang and would love to. The only ones we seem to get around here are the sulphur-crested, and I like them too - as long as they're not in cages, hate that. Out in the air they carry on like idiots, a pleasure to watch. The lorikeets in the paperbark are fun too. always messing around.
Meave
Hi Meave,have a listen what the Gang-Gang's sound like.They stay mostly in the tree tops.That way you might know if they are there? I had two come down for a drink last year, I have heard a few lately. Good luck! M-L
M-L
What a coincidence, I just heard a GangGang in the tree. There were two, they were VERY HIGH up in the canopy of a very high Gum , so this is the best I can do by zooming in:
at least there is proof, that there are some, even if there are only two! M-L
M-L
The 11 yellow-tailed black cockatoo were around late this afternoon. They're clearly attracted by the banksia cones & their seed. I had wonderful views of them swooping low to the ground as they changed shrubs. As I approached 1 left the flock & perched on an exposed dead tree branch. I reckon its job was to warn the flock of danger. I kept my distance & it returned to the flock after a couple of minutes. Both interesting & spectacular.
Lovely shot Ml, we saw the Gang Gangs went we went camping earlier this year. Every evening when we went to sit down to eat dinner they would arrive. Great sight, there was about 6 to 8 of them. Our pics weren't very good though as they were too far away.
The yellow-tailed black cockatoo numbers are up to 15 & they're around every day. What a morning & afternoon delight!
This morning, I watched about 100 yellow-tailed black cockatoos fly over my backyard in Eden Hills. They could have been on their way to Belair recreation park. Does anyone know about this flock? Thanks, Judith
Hi Judith. Some years ago I saw a flock of about 70 yellow-tailed black cockatoos at Belair Recreation Park SA & I wouldn't be surprised if the flock you saw is the same flock I saw.
I believe there's a project to count yellow-tailed black cockatoos on Fleurieu Peninsula & I imagine that whoever is running that project would have intricate information that might answer your question. The Department of Environment or whatever it's called today or the SA Ornithological Association would be able to help with a contact person.
After several years of yellow-tailed black cockatoos being present in my area (s.e. slopes of Mt Lofty Ranges SA) for much of the year I haven't seen any since December. I'm hoping that maturing revegetated habitat in various areas means that the species isn't as concentrated as it used to be.
Last week was the opening of the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo season here on the south eastern slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges SA. Three were around the place on one day. This week I've seen up to 21. This season's opening is later than it has been for a few years. Some things are unpredictable, I guess, but I'm curious about why there are such differences in the first sightings after they disappear in about February.
Daily flocks now of between 20 & 30. Given that this species is endangered in the Mt Lofty Ranges - & probably becoming increasingly imperilled due to wrecking of their nesting sites - it's really gratifying to see this flock hanging (even flying) about. They're feeding on Eucalyptus maculata & Eucalyptus caesia (two non-local species planted by the previous owners) fruits as well as Banksia cones & Hakea fruits.