THE CRAZY CAPERS OF THE SULPHUR CRESTED COCKATOO IN AUSTRALIA'S BLUE MOUNTAINS

       Walking one afternoon with environmentalist and tour guide Tim Tranter in Australia"s Blue Mountains, we looked across a deep valley at a panorama of soaring cliffs.  Spray drifted across the canyon from Katoomba Falls. In these unusual drought conditions, a mere trickle of water dribbled over the lip of the Falls, caught in the wind and dissipated before reaching the ground.

        In the void before us, a flock of Sulphur Crested cockatoos went through their paces in a comical display. Tim explained; “They’re crazy birds! They perform aerial acrobatics shrieking as they go, then suddenly plummet hundreds of feet towards the earth. Often, for no reason, they simply fall off a branch!” And as we watched, a cockatoo with snowy feathers and a sulphur tinted crest alighted on a branch near us. Then, seemingly just to prove a point, the bird stumbled sideways and fell, plummeting towards the valley floor before righting itself.


Photo copyright Anne Gordon


Posted on Monday, 23rd April, 2012