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Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Image ID 44173)
Photographed byJim Schultz on Sun 3rd Sep, 2017 and uploaded on Fri 8th Jan, 2021 .
Resolution1800x1400
Viewed488
ID44173
CommentImage specific (01.08.21BiLMkII_BOZ3698); the image is that of a ♀ Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, ssp. Calyptorhynchus banksii naso, which is endemic to WA and listed by Museum of WA as 'Vulnerable' per 07.01.19:
Having been driving around the hilly state forests on the outskirts of the Greater Perth Metro Area for some days in a row, looking for a feeding party of Forest Red-Tailed Black-Cockatoos, I finally found an approachable flock. The flock numbered about 12, but the group had no begging youngsters within it and thus was hard to hear from a distance with the engine running. Mostly, they were feeding quietly in the canopy of Marri trees, and they only trumpeted when moving trees. Marri Eucalypts mature patchily, so you never quite know when these majestic black-cockatoos will be visiting; the nuts of these trees have to be just right, before the birds will start to forage in them. When a tree or a patch of trees are exhausted of their nuts, the birds will move on to another source of ‘just right’ trees to feed upon. This image shows how a Marri nut is held and treated to the powerful bill of a female black-cockatoo, until the seeds inside are cleverly extracted. Interestingly, during the period from March to June, these black-cockatoos switch to feeding on Jarrah nuts, when their preferred Marri nuts are scarce. Personally, I do suspect that some of the soft nut flesh is also eaten, but I have not been able to find research results about this specifically
EquipmentNikon D3S camera body
Nikkor AF-S 500mm f4G ED VR
Camera rig support: Gitzo GT3543XLS Tripod, Dietmar Nill gimbal tripod head; standing on top of small hill shooting somewhat upwards.
EXPOSURE MODE: Shutter Priority; shutter speed 1/1250 sec at f6.3; EV+0.3 step & ISO-1600. Metering: Center-Weighted; Focus Mode: AF-C; AF Area Mode: Single. VR: On
Nikon ViewNX-i for viewing and selecting files; Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw/CC 2020 for resizing and cropping to 181% followed by conversion to Tif, notable selective sharpening and general post-processing inclusive of manual removal of mild halos; Topaz Pro plug-in Studio 2 was used for mild noise control. ‘Australian Bird Guide 2019’ was used for species distribution confirmation, supplementary data and colour checks; significantly, Johnstone & Kirkby ‘s (1999) study of ‘Food and feeding behaviour at Bungendore Park and Jarrahdale’ was also consulted
LocationCanning Dam Area, Western Australia
Keywordsfemale, feeding/with prey, adult
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