CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

The birds continue to come to my garden to visit. Here are some of the beautiful visitors who arrived stopped by to take advantage of the bird seed and garden bounty during February and March of 2015: Some were young. And some were quite surprised to see me. Others weren't going to let the presence of a camera spoil a perfectly good meal. And there was plenty on the tree for all.

This is one of the noisiest of the Australian birds - or, at least, the one most people notice. I found this one grazing on his own, completely unperturbed by the end of a nearby soccer game, but cautious of a nosy woman with a camera. Known most broadly as a galah, they are also called the rose-breasted cockatoo. Their crazy antics while flying in flocks is the reason that humans exhibiting crazy or stupid behaviours are also called 'galahs'. I got as close as I could to start with. The raised crest means he's aware I'm there and watching me. And then I got a little closer. And closer still.  I was really missing my longer lens, but it was back at the house, so the short one had to do.  The wind was blowing, which is why the feathers are so ruffled in the shot above. In the shot below, the bird is giving me another long look, before it decides the grass is a better option than flying away.

These guys were enjoying the morning sun on the highest point they could find. They came. They sat. They preened. They munched on the power-line. They stared at me staring at them. And put on a good display. Then they went. But even this large cockatoo is scared of magpies!