Abstract
As a breeder specializing in cockatoos, I was greatly excited by the announcement in the Jun/Jul issue of Watchbird regarding Terra Psittacorum, The Land of Parrots. This was a tour conducted by Monarch Tours, of Australia. It was to visit many birding areas, bird attractions and Australian breeders.
I contacted Monarch immediately, not being able to wait for the "further information'' promised for the following issue. I signed up, but to my disappointment, the tour was cancelled due to several factors beyond the control of Monarch. They were, however, able to offer me an alternate selection. I signed on for their birding and wildlife trip scheduled for early October. I also started dropping none too subtle hints in my contacts with Monarch, that the spotting of cockatoos in the wild was my idea of an Australian wildlife outing.
The original itinerary for the tour actually changed just before it began. An extended airline strike in Australia made it impossible to fly to Darwin and Alice Springs as originally planned. This forced a modification to the tour that coincidentally made the new itinerary very close to the cancelled tour.
The tour group consisted of ten people including the Monarch guide, Bill Martin, a long-time Australian park ranger. His contacts and knowledge of the parks we visited were to add greatly to the success of the trip. The people on the tour were all Americans, ranging from parrot fanciers to bird watchers of the Audubon persuasion. One couple raised show chickens and wallabies. Most were from California, but Seattle, Pennsylvania, and Indiana (myself) were also represented.
The trip was oriented primarily to the national parks along the east coast of Australia. We began with Lamington National Park in the hills above the Gold Coast, just south of Brisbane. After a flight north to Townsville, the tour spent several days in the Atherton Tablelands before visiting Cairns and spending a day at the Great Barrier Reef. Next we flew south to Sydney, where we travelled down the coast and, eventually, inland through Kangaroo Valley to Canberra, the nation's capital. Accommodations varied from rustic cabins at Binna Burra Lodge in Lamington National Park, to upscale hotels in Brisbane and Sydney. Most nights were spent at family style motels in small communities.
For the first few days, our cockatoo sightings were minimal and at long distance. We did, however, observe a multitude of interesting birds and wildlife. The first full day at Lamington, we observed Pale-headed and Crimson Rosellas, Rainbow and Scalybreasted Lorikeets, the striking King Parrot, and many non-parrot species including several bowerbirds and the Eastern Whipbird. The bowerbirds are builders of amazing courtship structures. We observed our first bower at Lamington, but were to see an incredible structure later near Atherton, where we also saw the beautiful Golden Bowerbird.
In Townsville, we were welcomed by flocks of lorikeets. In the center of this small resort town was a pedestrian mall. In this were several large trees. As dusk approached, small groups of rainbow lorikeets started gathering. By dark, hundreds of birds had taken residence. The cacophony was reminiscent of our Greycheek room at home, though multiplied many times.
By the fourth day, I was starting to despair I would ever see a cockatoo up close in Australia. Bill promised that "down South" cockatoos were "common as dirt" - I had only to wait. For the short term, he indicated that he knew of a spot near Atherton where Red-tailed Black Cockatoos had been spotted in the past. We drove north out of Atherton with all eyes looking to the treetops. After passing through several miles of apparently identical woods, Bill pulled to the side of the road and turned off the bus. As he opened the window, we heard the cries of the cockatoos all around us. We piled out of the bus, cameras and camcorders at the ready. The trees were filled with black cockatoos. That day we estimated their number at 50 birds. Returning the next day, the number appeared closer to 100. To commemorate my real introduction to the cockatoos of Australia, Bill combed the bush and came up with a black tail feather with a bright splash of crimson. This is my most treasured souvenir of the trip. The Red-tailed Blacks were extremely shy birds. They remained high in the treetops and flew away as we approached. The area in which we found them, however, was not at all remote. They were scattered in trees on either side of what passes in Australia for a busy road. There were even several homes scattered through the area.
Later, aswe headed south, we spent a day in Sydney. Several minutes after we checked in, one member of the group shouted that she had cockatoos in sight. Several Sulphur-cresteds were flying around a balcony on the top floor of a ten-story building nearby. They landed and appeared to be expecting food from the occupants. Later, other Sulphurs and several Galahs (Rose-breasteds) were observed flying by, this in the heart of Australia's largest city. Several of the latter were also seen later in the Royal Botanical Gardens located beside the Sydney Opera House.