Hi Grandy,
Aren't White Cockies just the most entertaining birds? The absolute clowns of the bird world. I love the joy they seem to have in life.
Around the corner from my house is a small suburban park and a woman who lives across the road from the park puts out litres of bird seed every day (I'm not exaggerating!) You can't drive down the street without having to stop your car and wait for flocks of ducks (there's no water nearby so I don't know how she gets ducks) or Ibis, or Cockies or Curlews to get off the road.
My absolute favourites are the Bush Stone-Curlews. They're hilarious in a totally different way than the cockatoos. Curlews don't give off that fun-loving vibe of cockies - they're hilarious because they are so full of suspicion and hate. If you don't get Stone-Curlews near you, I suggest you Google them because their very strange looking birds. Massive heads and glaring eyes. During the day they are often mistaken for garden ornaments because they kneel very still and stare hate at any passers-by. If you get too close they will either hiss at you or run away screaming. At night, there is nothing like the sound they make. They can scream like a woman being murdered (locals call them murder-birds). Or they gather in a coven and will scream one at a time, getting louder and faster until - dead silence. Then they start again.
I had a very lucky experience with some Curlews on Sunday. They are fiercely protective parents and won't let anyone get near their chicks. A friend and I happened to see two curlews standing on the curb and two chicks in the gutter. One of the chicks was taking running jumps at the curb trying to get off the road but couldn't. I was concerned the chicks would get run over if they couldn't get back onto the garden bed with their parents. I went closer and parent spread its wings as they usually do before hissing and running at you - but let me pick each of its babies up and put them back on the grass. Truly amazing as I was waiting to be stabbed the whole time with its sharp beak but, somehow it let me pick up the chicks. Such an awesome moment.
Anyway, apologies for such a long ramble. I love hearing about your experiences with the wildlife.
I hope today is a good day for you Grandy. Thankyou for sharing.
HS.
