[pics] parrots

[wispfox]

Swarmed by cockatoos!


Indeed, they were quite interested in perching, if there was food.


Many would try to get into the container of food (see the one on the right)


But many of them bit you if they didn't like your food (or it was gone). Some especially cheeky ones would nip at your ankle to get your attention. I did not like this, so at some point I started refusing to let the cockatoos land on me.

The rosellas (shoulder) and king parrots (both arms, not adults) were much less prone to nipping, as well as being lighter. (some still would, if your food was gone or not to their liking)


There were even sometimes rosellas and/or king parrots on my head, but there is no photographic evidence of this. This seemed related to them waiting for the others eating out of my hand to go away (some would wait, some would try to make birds go away), but one who was on my shoulder at one point apparently decided my head was a better perch. Higher, you know.

I was filled with great glee frequently throughout the parrot feeding expedition, as some of the pictures probably show. :)

Also? Eucalypts grow _insanely_ quickly, based on how tall 30 year old ones were.

Comments

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

... I... want... to... squawk...

(When I announce that I want to do my cockatoo screech, one of my local partners immediately claps her hands over her ears. The other one just runs.)

[catya.livejournal.com]

Zach says (about the pic with the rosella on your shoulder) "Maybe they're talking to her!"

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Heh! Some of the birds were pretty chatty, but never (as far as I recall) ones on my shoulders.

I certainly talked to _them_ quite a lot!

[regyt.livejournal.com]

Wow. The photos of them perching on you are just fantastic! I've only had that happen one at a time and in pet stores! There are actually wild green parrots in Brooklyn in my neighborhood, but they're not so friendly. They just peck at trash on the ground next to the pigeons.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Well, the place we were was a common place to go to feed wild parrots, which is probably why they were so friendly. :) Indeed, the nearby shop sold seed, among many other things.

I'm somewhat surprised that wild parrots can survive New York winters, actually!

[okoshun.livejournal.com]

That's *so* cool! [envy]

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

:)

I lure you all toward Melbourne! ;)

[okoshun.livejournal.com]

Cute and an eeevil temptress too! :)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

*grins*

Eeeeevil!

[the-xtina.livejournal.com]

"Swarmed by cockatoos!"

That has to be code for something... *ponder ponder*

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

there's always the good old "she looks like she could do with a cockatoo" :)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Which to me, at least, means absolutely nothing. :)

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

say it out loud a few times :)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I'd actually already tried that.

However, interestingly, mactavish's comment below got me to try it with an aussie accent, which did the trick (I think).

Weirdness. Can anyone tell that I'm poor at word-based puzzles? :)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Ask Joe to read it to you. :)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

I am amused that, while hitchhiker's comment above about having myself say it a few times did not help (I'd actually already tried that), this comment did, because I tried with a slightly aussie accent.

For lo, I am poor with word-based puzzles. :)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

*laughing*

If it weren't for the photographic evidence, I might have to agree that it must be code for something. ;)

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Dem birds have good taste, I guess...

[trista.livejournal.com]

I love these pictures! :)

[corivax.livejournal.com]

Neato!

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Person I went with (curlygrrl) was mentioning that she had a magpie which was tame enough to perch on her shoulder. Reminded me of you, that did!

[opalmirror.livejournal.com]

I remember one cockatoo sitting on a porch-rail in Belize (second story rail) who screamed repeatedly at me when I walked along in front. Clearly a guard-parrot.

I'm enjoying your travelogue, thanks for posting. :)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

guard-parrot: quite possible. Those things bite! And I bet if they really meant it, instead of as an attempt to get attention, they could do damage.

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

I have bruises!

[jasra]

How fun!

[fourgates.livejournal.com]

Cool!