Long-billed Corella – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER doesn't mean I'm LOST

Along the Track: Interlude at the Lake

February 15, 2026Posted in Ballarat, Black Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Little Corella, Long-billed Corella, Masked Lapwing, Pacific Black DuckTagged Black Swan, Little Corella, Long-billed Corella, Masked Lapwing, Pacific Black Duck6 Comments

We had an invitation for lunch with our Ballarat connection, so decided to leave a little earlier, spend a few minutes around the Ballarat Lake, while we had the opportunity.
As the day would have it, it was porridge skies, but sometimes, as I’ve discovered lately those softer melded light conditions are really good for detail of bird feathers.
Mind, I’m partial to a run of sunshine too. 🙂

As they say,—have you ever wondered who ‘they’ are?—obviously not ‘us’,—anyway as ‘they’ say, what we found were the ‘usual suspects’

The highlight of the hour or so was several Great Crested Grebes. And we did spend quite a bit of time photographing insane Corellas as they flew about in large, super-noisy flocks. I’ve never been sure as to what puts them into a frenzy, but once started its self-multiplying and they just keep going until everyone runs out of energy.

So here in no particular order.

Lake Wendouree has no end of Black Swans, and there always seems to be new clutches on the way. This one is quite advanced and good to see those feathers taking shape.

A Masked Lapwing has decided to take a snooze on the side of the track. Totally unphased by passing foot traffic.

Always good to find these birds. Dreaming of seeing, and photographing them dancing.

And here they come. This is the 4,234 trip up and down the lake, calling raucously as they go.

With so much action its hard to keep just one in frame. This is a Long-billed Corella

And a Little Corella zipping between the trees

They’ve seen it all before. This time they are just going to sit and watch it all happen.

Never cease to be amazed that such a big bird can balance so well on one leg and nap at the same time.

Maned Ducks have such distinctive markings on their backs and folded feathers. Something we often miss with the front

No matter the place, or the occasion, a Pacific Black Duck knows how to work a space.

Enjoy.

The Circus Came to Town

February 7, 2022Posted in Long-billed CorellaTagged Long-billed Corella9 Comments

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.

Moments: Territiory and its Defence

August 1, 2019Posted in Eynesbury, Long-billed Corella, Sulphur-crested CockatooTagged Long-billed Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo8 Comments

We were at Eynesbury. Looking, as usual for Flame Robins, and finding none, we had moved our endeavours to Jacky Winter. Now Jacky is not in nesting mode at the moment, and range a bit wider across the forest it seems. So we waited around some of the usual haunts.
I noted off on the far side of the open area, an old Grey Box, now a skeleton of its former self, and no doubt with some good nesting hollows hidden among its wide branches.

A lone Long-billed Corella has sat in the sunshine for quite a few minutes and just seemed to be enjoying the warmth.

When on a turn of fate a small group, mob, gang of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos in full cry happened past.

For reasons, I can’t figure, one of them dropped down out of the flock and headed straight at the erstwhile Corella. Who to its credit decided that being pushed from its perch was not going to happen without a struggle.

However in the end, the bigger bird won out and the Corella took to the air.

After a few proud crest flushes, and a loud calling session, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo departed to catch up with its mates.

Here is how it panned out.

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