World Bird Wednesday - Long-billed Corella

Very like the Little Corella I showed you a few weeks ago

but a bit larger and more colourful, the Long-billed Corella,

Cacatua tenuirostris, is a seed eater and, as you can see, digs

up lawns with it's long, sharp bill. People with lawns tend to

complain when a whole flock of them attack their precious

greensward.

I however, am rather partial to these cheeky birds. They tend

to look at one as though they were planning to play some

trick on you.

These were on the lawn where I photographed the kangaroos

in the post below.

I love the blue around the eye as well as the bright red trim

of their breeding plumage, their cheeky strut and occasional hop.

In large numbers in grain growing country they can become

very destructive to the crop but here in a National Park I

welcome the sight of them.

Do join World Bird Wednesday hosted by Springman, just click on

the Logo at right and get to see a lot of birds you have never seen

before or have no access to on your home turf.

OUR WORLD - Boys will be Boys

On our way back from Melbourne, after stopping at the

Ballarat Botanical gardens,(see post below) we hoped to

spend the night at the picturesque little town of Dunkeld

at the southern side of the Grampians but were sorely

disappointed since the whole place was booked out due

to a wedding.

Here you can just see the shadow of the mountains in the

distance. It was starting to get dark and we were forced to

drive through the mountain range to Halls Gap along a

pitted narrow road. All roads in the area had been badly

damaged by a massive rain event.

The scenery, while the light lasted, was spectacular of the

granite topped mountains.

Happily, in the pitch darkness, we got a room at the Halls Gap

Motel where in the early morning light we were greeted by

mobs of kangaroos grazing right outside our door.

Here, all is still quiet on the western front

but a challenge is offered for pistols for two at dawn.

Battle is firmly engaged,

at first looking almost like an invitation to the dance

a little stand off as the combatants size each other up

and fight in deadly earnest with their own unique style of

kick-boxing.

And another try at ripping his opponent's guts out,

while indulging in some wrestling for good measure.

Another missed kick from the gent on the right,

a little parlay,

Oh, I say old chap, it was only a misunderstanding!

And all's well that ends well and everyone can go back to

munching the grass.

Meanwhile, yours truly felt free to breathe again as I was so

close to them I could easily have become the outsider attacked

by both.

I have been having trouble getting the OUR WORLD Logo so please click

on OUR WORLD to join the meme.