Friday 29 July 2011

Tuning In

I confess, I think I am becoming a "bird nerd"! Lately I have been  "tuning in" to the chorus of bird sounds in our backyard.  Sometimes I'll recognise the calls and pop my head out to check if I guessed right as to who was visiting.  A couple of mornings ago I stepped outside with my daughter to play in the sandpit and my attention was immediately taken by a completely unfamiliar sound.  I looked up to see this fine fellow (not really sure if it was a he or a she, but we'll just say he for now) perched up high in a casuarina tree just over the fence....


Isn't he gorgeous? 


Look at that scruffy crest and long tail feathers! Don't you just want to give him a scratch?

He turned around and was calling out to his friend who appeared shortly after, flapping his wings slowly from one tree to another, but he/she was too quick for me to take a photo.  

That morning, a friend of mine (an American) came over and was saying how lucky we are to have such amazing birds like the cockatoo in Australia.

Just in case you're wondering, our visitor (the aussie bird that is) was a  Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo (I looked it up).  These guys are one of the most endangered species of cockatoos in Australia, so I felt really grateful to see one right in my backyard.

So glad that I tuned in.  With the busyness of everyday life it's so easy to tune out, and so hard to just be present in the moment. I really appreciate moments like this, nature really has a way of making you stop and listen, doesn't it?

And the lovely thing is my two year old daughter acknowledges the birds and has been mimicking their sounds when she hears them, so she is tuning in now too!

I love seeing birds in their natural environment, they have wings for a reason don't you think?

I'm linking up with maxabella loves  for the first time today, it's an inspiring place to visit.

For more birdy adventures in my backyard you might like to go here.

xSam

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic shot, i rarely see black cockatoos around, PLENTY of sulfur crested white ones, they are en masse here in Canberra with their friends, the Galah!! Love Posie

Debbie said...

I don't think I've seen a black cockatoo in the flesh! That's amazing! Where we used to live, there were crows galore, which drove me up the wall. Fortunately, our new place attracts more lorikeets - a much more pleasant sound on the ears!

Maxabella said...

What a great sight he must have been. I am a real bird lover, but I have stopped short of getting out the binoculars lest I be lost forevermore to twitching! (I think that's what it's called...) x

Sam said...

Go on surrender to your inner "twitcher", think it's too late for me, I'm already hooked, atleast it's just confined to my own backyard (for now):-)