Fresh from enjoying an interlude with some very creative Galahs, we had an encounter with a family of Long-billed Corella.
We were on the way out to spend some time photographing birds.
As we turned out of the driveway, across the road we saw a flock of Long-bills.
The house opposite has a number of pencil pines in the front garden and the pinenuts must have just reached that precise moment of sweetness for the birds.
We had a choice, of course, to smile and drive on to our intended destination, or.
EE was already out of iAmGrey, well I had stopped to check for traffic. So I had to park the car and join her in the middle of the roundabout. Funny thing about being in the middle of a roundabout with a camera. Cars all slow down as they negotiate the roundabout.
Not that EE is any stranger to cars on roundabouts. Once some years back when we shot car clubs for magazines, she was sitting on a deckchair in the huge roundabout at Porepunkah in the state’s north. About 25 cars were going, round and round the roundabout as she photographed them. With much tooting and calling, as only car enthusiasts do.
But back to the present.
It was a challenge to try and photograph each bird, or to just concentrate on one or two as they enjoyed the feast.
The roof of the colorbond garden shed rang with the disposed seed pods, must have been enough to wake up the inhabitants. The Long-bills made quick work of the pine nuts and there was much cackling and calling, perhaps discussing the merits of each nut?
In the end, enough, was enough and with a few calls, they were gone. And we continued, somewhat belatedly to our previous journey destination.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
Delightful images David and an enjoyable story to go with them. All left-footers I see. I was particularly amused by the second image as bits of greenery are sent flying in the quest for a pine nut.
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Hello Eleanor, a fun moment that I just had to share. Still laughing over here. Interesting to note the Left-footedness, I think the thing that doesn’t come across is the cackling calls and the disposed nuts on the tin roof 🙂
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Beautiful captures David. These birds have a tendency to just turn up anywhere at anytime as do their Little cousins here. We have similar pines next door and we sometimes here the Corella and Cockies out there leaving a pile of bitten off twigs and cones. One lady down the street use to try to remove then from her pines with a garden rake, but it did not perturb them, it was quite humorous to watch. We are pleased to see Long-bills doing so well all over our country, as they are turning up everywhere, having not been seen in our parts some years ago. We even had a pair nest in our local park last year with the Cockies. I love the expression seen in their faces of enjoyment you captured especially in first image. Lovely series.
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Hello Ashley,
I love watching them as everything is done with an excess of enthusiasm. Glad you liked the first pic as it was my pic of the bunch. The are such awkward looking birds, yet have developed a special set of skills at what they do.
Interesting as Eleanor points out they are all left-handed. (clawed).
Our village has several ornamental plums in the front driveway and while people haven’t used rakes, many other ‘clever’ methods of getting them move on have failed!!! Nothing outsmarts a Cockatoo wanting a free feed.
I also enjoy the banter that goes on as they work over the trees.
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Interesting observation about their lefthandedness David
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A splendid series of images! They are so much fun to watch, especially when there is a feast to hand! Very enthusiastic diners!
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Been checking each morning since, but they have not made a return visit. Must have just been a marauding flock flyby.
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G’day David, I have to confess I’ve been binge reading and watching again. I stopped and pondered after each of your posts and I read (naturally!) the comments left by others. It’s been a bit of a see-saw of thoughts and emotions and I am very thankful for this story and series to conclude my session on a happy note. Your wanderings always lead me into my own memories and photography moments, they often clarify something and even enlighten (yes!).
I did not feel like commenting on each of your posts – I just preferred to think.
Here I’ve also found Eleanor’s observation very interesting and I’ve got yet another thought on the subject of the dominant foot: how about left-footed for precision and right-footed for strength? They are birds after all and maybe our anthropocentric point of view needs some correction?
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G’day Adam, its ok not to comment on every post 🙂 Some of it I try to piece together from thoughts or comments or discussions with others, other times I just start with an idea and it goes from there. And like with the Corellas, sometimes its more a report from the field.
I have heard of the leftfootedness before, but to be honest have never followed it up. A quick search of Uncle Google does not provide any concrete data and proves once again for Google, its ‘choose your own expert”.
However the concusses of observation supports the left-footedness.
It has something to do with the style of foot of the birds with the toes “They have zygodactylous feet in that of the four toes, digits 2 and 3 point forwards and digits 1 and 4 point backwards. Such a foot pattern is well suited for grasping branches and moving along the branch. Parrots thus move sideways in slow and deliberate steps, their feet often turning inwards, grasping the branch and moving along.”
https://besgroup.org/2006/03/04/why-do-parrots-use-their-left-feet-to-handle-food-040306/
Not much help as the author does not come to a conclusion.
Your theory may well be as good as explanation.
All good.
Regards
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