Imagine a spectacularly athletic, aerial form of rugby, played by members of an endangered cockatoo species…
This post will also lead you to a superb, long-awaited book by an Australian whose bird photography is in an entirely different league to yours truly’s.
On 15 September 2021 my beloved and I spent most of the day in the western “corner” (where 2WD access is not just possible, but easy) of Cape Arid National Park.
Circa 5 pm, after a wonderful time in one of our favourite places – which this day had involved one of the more remarkable “wildflower days” any human could ever enjoy, plus whales, birds, crabs and epic coastal land/sea-scapes – we exited the National Park.
Bitumen was only a few minutes away.
As we approached a crossroad, our ears told us what our eyes then confirmed; we’d stumbled upon an unusually large, very exuberant flock of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos.
The world has just two species of white-tailed black cockatoo, and southwestern Western Australia is the only home to both of them.
Largely thanks to loss of habitat, they are endangered; see earlier posts for more about these magnificent, highly intelligent birds. (follow the “Carnabys” prompt, below)
Certain animals are endlessly watchable because they are highly social, always “up to something”.
African elephants have few peers in this respect; Australia’s similarly playful black cockatoos are among them.
No matter how often you have watched elephants or black cockatoos, they can still surprise you.
Within this particular flock, a few individuals were engaging in the most spectacular aerobatics I had ever seen from Carnabys.
Working out what was going on – let alone successfully photographing it – proved nigh-impossible.
However, my least-worst photographic attempt does reveal the kind of game being played.
The Esperance region’s emblematic wildflower is in fact a “spike” or “cone”, from which grow a great many individual flowers.
Banksia speciosa is very aptly known as Showy Banksia.
(even by Banksia standards, this species is a stunner. Its different stages are almost unbelievably different from each other, as you will see in a future post)
Even a Showy Banksia’s dessicated, “spent” cone is no light, small thing; I had never imagined one being redeployed as a “ football” or a “trophy, worth fighting for”.
That, however, is exactly what was “going on” at 5.17 pm on 15 September 2021; photo is copyright Doug Spencer.
If anyone else has witnessed cockatoos playing aerial rugby with a Banksia cone, please let me know so!
I did manage to take some rather better photos of some of the flock’s less combative members; they will appear in the next Pelican Yoga post.
If you love birds and you would like to enjoy a feast of much finer photography, I have good news: at last, Georgina Steytler has her own book.
She has long been my favourite Australian photographer of birds; you’ll know why, if you click here.
For the Love of Birds is published by Australian Geographic, proceeds from the book will benefit birds rather than private or corporate bank balances, it is readily available, and the price is remarkably low.
Among photographically-oriented “general” Australian bird books, it sets a new benchmark.
Assuredly, it is the only one to contain “irrefutable proof that Elvis lives.”