Who are you said the Black Cockatoo?

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life

Yesterday was the last day before we left Booderee National Park in New South Wales, to follow more of The Yellow Brick Road in Oz.

We have been seeing so many truly beautiful birds, but none of the vulnerable Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo, which is an enormous and very impressive cockatoo.

Yellow Tails are a vulnerable species, facing rapid population decline, due to habitat destruction and human predation, hence they they tend to be shy around people they don’t know

I had seen Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos here eleven years ago, but was packing my suitcase, resigned to not having a repeat experience, when I spied this one out my window.

I found my Wizard of Oz! And now, you have too.

Cheers to you from all The Wizards in magical Oz~

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239 thoughts on “Who are you said the Black Cockatoo?”

  3. I’m so glad this bird obliged you and your camera. Very unique characteristics with the yellow patch on his head, the red ring around his eye, and then the dexterous beak, tongue, and claws. I’m glad you were lucky and spotted this guy so you could share him with us. Beautiful!

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  5. Isn’t that what holidays are about: the best weather or the bird you are looking for arriving on the day of one’s departure. Your photographs are wonderful!

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    1. Yes, there are hybrid black flowers, like roses and tulips, but natural black flowers are usually a super deep purple or blue that looks black. It is the the same with birds. Corvids like you mention and even this black cockatoo has color in him, a deep bluish-purple. I shot him on a rainy, very cloudy day, so you couldn’t see the color spectrum. In the sunshine he would glow and you could see the hues of hidden color.

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  16. OMG, Cindy… what a beauty!!
    I’m so happy you captured this gorgeous bird for us.
    Still, just another creature man is destroying… wittingly or unwittingly.
    We, all, need to wake up!

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  19. Hi. Soon after I started my WP journey, I began finding sites that sometimes focus on birds, such as your site. I’d never paid all that much attention to birds before. I’ve come to realize how incredible they are.

    Neil

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  20. Looks like a no nonsense bird! It looks more different than beautiful to me. It’s sad how we keep on encroaching on wildlife’s habitat but again, where can people go with growing populations? One thing that really made an impression on on encroachment is how some slimy looking frogs have completely disappeared where I grew up. I don’t like the frogs, but it just shows how some creatures are really disappearing.

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  27. Thanks Cindy for sharing a light on endangered species and sharing their images with us here online. I am glad you were able to have this experience a second time!

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      1. You have set something off with your images Cindy. I had a pair of birds out the front of my home that I have never seen in my life. Very beautiful with so many colors. A friend informs me that they were Wompoo Fruit Doves and due to the fires their normal food has been reduced so many birds are coming into the suburbs as that is the only place to find food.
        I’ve lived in the coastal areas for years but never spotted any before this, a blessing to have seen their beauty and realise what is so important to protect 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋 🦘 🐬 🐳 🌺 🌹 🌈 🐦 🐤 🐣 🐥 🦆 🦢 🦅 🦉 🦚 🦜

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        1. What synchronicity! I googled your dove and I photographed something similar. I think what I saw was an Emerald Dove. I will post photos soon. Australia has such an incredible variety of doves, in such amazing colors. I had never heard of a Wompoo Fruit Dove! A gorgeous creature, with a perfectly Ozian name!! Wonderful (＾◡＾)

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    1. Yes, wild animals and birds danger warning systems keep them alive. They are incredibly observant of human behavior and body language. It is very rare for me to photograph a wild creature without it looking in my camera lens before I see them! Watching wild creatures is one of my greatest joys. Harming them breaks my heart (＾◡＾)

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    1. Wow! That surprises me Pauline. It makes me feel even more blessed by their visit. It was a pair. I assume male and female but the the one I call ‘he’ was more willing to be photographed. I often notice this with birds (and people), some like having their photos taken a lot more than others! 😉

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      1. Definitely find the male birds around here are more dominant, and quite often more colourful too. On a side note jack is more than happy to be in front of the camera, whereas I tend to be the one taking the photos…🕺🏼

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    1. We have seen some, yes. We arrived with the rains though, so everything quickly turned a magical emerald green that was so beautiful to see. I noticed water pans everywhere that people had been leaving out for the wild birds and animals during the drought and fires. Now there are torrents of rivers and ‘water, water everywhere!’

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    1. Yes! Happy you see this. Parrots are currently being studied for all sorts of intelligences, including emotional, logical and ‘sense of self in place,’ in other words, they are very self and other aware creatures.

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  47. Your wizard of oz is beautiful😃 I tend to think of these birds as white as that’s all I’ve seen in domesticated ones. Their colours are magnificent and in this one’s case dark and mysterious!

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  50. Wow Cindy, my son’s is white with yellow on his head… this black beauty is really stunning. Thank you for this post… its amazing to see the bird black. I’m going to repost this.. big loving hugs!

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