The following picture of a female ‘black’ satin bowerbird, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, was taken in Katoomba on January 31, 2009, by Jennifer Marohasy.
Birds
A Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo and Two Messages for Australian Readers
THIS beautiful bird, a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, has been sitting in a tree outside my study perhaps wondering when I am going to refill the bird-feeder with some bird seed. The few times I have walked outside this afternoon the bird has squarked, perhaps asking me to “fill it!”
Meanwhile I have been posting a couple of messages at the ‘Community Home’ page.
I am now asking you, particularly if you live in the vicinity of Mittagong to have a look here, and if you are a member of the Australian Environment Foundation to have a look here.
Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Cacatua galerita, are very common where I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. It is not uncommon for a flock of perhaps 20 birds to strut about on my back lawn late in the afternoon before perching in a very tall nearby pine tree where they sleep at night.
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Update, January 31
OK. In response to requests from Janama and Bernard and the Bird, I’ve filled it!
Whale Birds – A Note from Ann Novek
Whale birds are a group of birds called this because,
1) They used to follow whaling ships and feed on the blubber and floating oil. (Any of several species of large Antarctic petrels).
2) Prions are a small group of Petrels which once were known as whale birds, because they feed on the same plankton baleen whale feed and were thus likely to be good indicators where the whales may be.
3) The Sooty tern (see photo) is as well called a whale bird.
Photo courtesy BirdLife International/Simon Stirrup
“ We frequently observe humpback whales and birds feeding on the same patches , so it’s not surprising that occasionally birds might be engulfed by feeding humpback whales “.
“We observed three partially digested birds coated with whale feces floating in the water near adult whales”.
RESULTS OF HUMPBACK WHALE POPULATION MONITORING IN GLACIER BAY AND ADJACENT WATERS: 2005
Cheers,
Ann
Sweden
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.