A parrot by any other name

In Western Australia, this sweet thing (first featured in the post below) is also known as a King Parrot.

While she looks nothing like the stunning, flourescent-headed King Parrot found in the high country of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, she's very special all the same.

First cap

Even though they can be seen around Perth, it took Hazel and I a 400km drive south to Albany to see our first wild Red-Capped Parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius).

Haze photographed this young female about 5pm yesterday.

We also saw a few Western Rosellas in scrubland and (I think) a pair of Purple-Crowned Lorikeets by Albany Highway yesterday afternoon, but the preposterous creatures flew off before we could snap 'em.

Next time we'll set a trap:-)

Outta here.

That's probably the beggee fleeing the tree.

Easter parrots

The younger of these two Long-Billed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus baundinii) was giving its elder the rounds of the kitchen, begging for food within earshot of my kitchen earlier this morning.

I'm not sure which was the begger and which the beggee.

Interloper

"Ahem. You're weighing down our fence."

[Wild Red-Tailed Black-Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii), photographed today just east of Donnybrook, Western Australia, with a Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)]

Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Yes, that's Alcatraz, not Carnac Island, in the far distance. And no, Haze and I have not moved to San Francisco - though I'd like to give it a go some day.

This is merely a plug for a documentary about the guy (Mark Bittner) who took this photo of these reasonably wild red and green parrots.

Haze and I laughed, cried, barfed and sighed at the shenanigans of Mark's adopted flock of feral Fockers. There's something for everyone here.

Five tail feathers.

Grassias

... except if you're a turf-farmer.

Sprung today in Kings Park, Perth

From a distance, these Western Ringnecks (Barnardius zonarius) look sinister. But up close, they're pretty damn cute ...

So, farewell to the Norfolk Island pine.

... or Judy.

Pole vaulting

But there's no show without Punch ...

I'm doing my best to ignore you.

... and for the main part they were well behaved.

A day at the beach

Wild Western Corellas were in pestilential proportions up at City Beach this morning ...

Mystery parrot

On first inspection, this Esplanade Park claw-gripper looks well enough like a galah.

But he hangs around all day with a ground-dwelling flock of Cacatua pastinator. He also hops around and carries on more like a pastinator than a galah, and is bigger than your average galah.

Hazel, who snapped him, and I think he's the product of unholy union.
But oh, what a union!

Canoodlers

Hazel snapped these two canoodling at Esplanade Park in Fremantle. They (Western Corellas that is) have the Latin name Cacatua pastinator.

And there's plenty of pastinator for them to chew on down at Esplanade Park.

Grippin' by the pool

Long before Chinese ping-pong players, these fellows invented the claw grip.

They're known as Western Corellas and they frequent Perth's City Beach where there's lots of casuarina nuts for them to chew on.

I do believe they're Hazel's favourite parrot, which is why she took this pic' and thousands of others like it. On celluloid too. We had to take out a second mortgage to get them developed.

Electric light orchestra

Back south again to Fremantle, where the weather wasn't so flash for this poor flock of wild iddies.

Bootylicious

And here's old Black Beak (otherwise known as a short-billed black cockatoo) clearing out with his ill-gotten booty.

Blackbeak

This clown prince of the Westralian bush would give old Behemoth a run for his money size-wise. Hazel found him 400 klicks north of Perth, very close to Prince Leonard's Hutt River Province.