Birding

Gang-gang Cockatoos feeding

February 23, 2020 by Clare M No Comments

Just before we left Victoria and returned home to Broome I was doing one of my regular walks from Foster to Fish Creek. I walked up to the look-out, which is about half way between the two small towns. I stopped to take in the view one last time. Suddenly there was the familiar odd sound of Gang-gang Cockatoos, which we had encountered on Boxing Day last year. The pair of birds flew directly overhead and on towards Fish Creek. I wrote them down in my notebook and walked back down to the trail.

I had not gone far when I could hear a crunching sound. When Gang-gang Cockatoos find food they are not concerned about your presence. It was so nice to get one more look at these magnificent birds before we came home. I wasn’t on a schedule and stopped with them taking numerous photos as they fed and dropped plant matter to the trail below. The male Gang-gang Cockatoo had the most amazing head feathers as you can see.

Male Gang-gang Cockatoo feeding

I am guilty of paying a lot more attention to the male Gang-gang Cockatoo, but I did get some photos of the female bird. She also has curly head feathers, but blends into the environment somewhat compared to the male bird.

Female Gang-gang Cockatoo feeding

The dexterity with which the Gang-gang Cockatoos use with their feet is quite incredible to watch. The trail was littered with discarded nuts and seeds and I often encountered this. Sometimes it was Gang-gang Cockatoos responsible and other times it was Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Little Corellas or Galahs. I will never tire of watching these birds feeding!

Written by Clare M

Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!