A CARNABY CONVENTION

BEVERLEY

Reflecting on how birding can be a comfort when life gets tough

It's taken me a long while to write this blog post...I really enjoyed the experience of photographing Carnaby's black cockatoos in March 2022, though life was not great at the time.

It seems such a long time ago now that Australian state borders were still closed, and getting 'home' to see loved ones was an impossibility for many. Everyone has a Covid heartache story to tell, and mine is about losing my dear Dad three days before the West Australian border finally opened. I had waited for a very long fourteen months to be able to hold his hand again, and luckily I did get to do that in his final hours.

But Dad would want me to focus on happier events here, and that includes seeing these magnificent birds in the wild. I only started birding and bird photographing in July 2020. Before that I never knew how lucky I was to have family living on a rural property near Bunbury where so many great birds visit.

Including Carnaby's cockatoos! (I also know that experts will be able to tell if I have captured any Baudin's cockatoos as well, but making that distinction is not my primary purpose here). 

​March was still warm in the south-west of WA, and so it was a great time to see flocks of these birds come screeching and wheeling across the orchards and farms, and landing in the local trees. Admittedly, this can be a real challenge for those primary producers trying to make a living. As one family member commented, it was as if they were having a Carnaby's convention!

The cockies were not the only ones having a convention: Australian ringnecks, commonly known as 28s, were also flocking and feasting.

Further north, in the Perth Hills area, other family gardens proved bountiful for gorgeous birds, including some of the smaller species.

Even though this was a very challenging time for me, being able to walk around family properties with binoculars and camera was such a relief, and a reminder of all that is good in the cycle of nature.

I'll leave the reader to enjoy what I saw, as I reflect on what solace I found in my new hobbies of birdwatching and bird photography.

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Dedicated to the memory of a lovely man
​and a wonderful dad