TomKal foto

I have photographed wild Sulphur-crested Cockatoo previously, but with the lens only 70-200 and from quite a long distance, so then a gallery of the new species was not created, but the images were published in Hong Kong Park gallery, despite the fact that cockatoos presented there were wild and the pictures taken in the city park. My stay in Australia has changed this state. I took photos of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos in Townsville and Sydney. I had to look for them in the city parks and on the outskirts of cities and in the mountains of the Blue Mountains. They actually look like the mascots when you are observing them. Looking at them you would say that they resemble stuffed animals, or maybe my assessment is not objective? Once a cockatoo was our home pet. Kasia, it was the name of the parrot, was a tame bird and when we were at home she was flying freely. Kasia was quite specific in nature, and she knew what she wanted from life. Towards us she was calm and friendly when sitting on our shoulders for hours. To be paid a bit of attention from time to time was what she only needed. Or to give her a peanut, or to scratch the head. When she was already fed up with us she flew away on her tree all hung around with toys. There was something we should not do, in her view. We should not invite guests to our home. Kasia got mad and could hurt the blood. She was flying all around giving out shrill noises. She knew that we would not have had time for her and jealousy changed this gentle bird into an aggressor. But let us get back to my observation of wild cockatoos. In Australia they were actually numerous. They were flying in small groups, but their arrival could not be unnoticed by all the neighborhood. In visual terms they are very attractive and nice to observer, but their sounds are shrilling, unpleasant and irritating. After a few shots of feeding cockatoos, standing directly underneath I recorded their sounds and now I invite you to listen to it. I assure you that they can be heard far away, and the distance in the Blue Mountains could be counted in many kilometers. For those who arrive from Europe it is interesting that the bird lives in the wild state on the outskirts of towns and in the city parks. It accepts surroundings and quite close contact with people in their environment. You do not have to make big expeditions and arrangements to photograph them. What you need is just a bit of luck and being at the right time at the point of feeding. As usual, native is priceless and his help shorten time of searching, time that in Australia will always be too short. Unlimited space, variety and facility of shooting, and always extremely nice and friendly Australians, all it makes time go by too fast unfortunately...