Australia - SA - Goolwa - Crop Raiding!

I have had a few days in Perth to do some non birding activities including cinema in the park Aquaman which does not have the same ring to it as Birdman! Perth Glory smashed Wellington 3 – 0 in the most one sided game I have seen in a while! The rest of my time was more social with some planning thrown in.

I flew to Adelaide (the SA is not a typo!) yesterday getting up at stupid o clock and then had a night in a place I won’t be staying at again! The rest of the day continued in the same vein with a slightly more stressful twist to it… Good old UK banking never lets you down! Won’t name and shame on here but all is sorted!

By mid afternoon I was on my way having picked up my 4x4 defender type truck which will be my home for the next ten days. Due to other circumstances (above) my aim to visit Gluepot will have to wait a few days but the good news is the temperatures in the interior are dropping so it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise!

I made a couple of bird watching stops on my way to Goolwa which turned out to be my pit-stop for the night. A couple of fields were littered with crop munching Sulphur Crested Cockatiels. It is good to see this species outside a cage. I bet the farmer would have a different opinion on that one!

Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos were also part of the crop raiding party a gun-shot device would go off intermittently sending the birds skywards. Note the yellow patch around the ear. There were good numbers present!

I can also see why they are called “Flamin Galaahs!” here. They are everywhere in the fields feeding on seed. I did witness a Peregrine swoop smashing the back of the Galah from above the bird was doomed and was duly collected and after a short tussle with another peregrine taken for consumption.

Little Corellas were watched sweeping like locusts across seed laden fields. I can only liken it to starling as they wheel in a pre roost flight but on a much bigger whiter scale!

I finally took some pictures of Crested Pigeon real ones too!

I have WiFI on my phone so hopefully I will be able to post from other camp sites. The truck is plugged in keeping the kitchen and amenities functioning. I will post some pictures it is quite a set up and different to African 4x4’s I have driven.

The train is back on the track!