PALM COCKATOOS AND CAPE YORK - On our first field trip to Cape York in 2022 we only glimpsed these iconic cockatoos from afar. Determined to get up close and personal so that I could gather enough material to work on some linocuts we decided to head back in 2023. It is quite a trip - around 15,000 km (we never succeed in going in a straight line....) Before going I did many internet searches as to where to find them - e-bird being the most useful - and it was with trepidation we headed off to "find the Palmies" First stop Moreton Telegraph Station - glimpsed them flying over. Second stop Eliot Falls - managed some reasonable photos but hopelessly windy so they looked a bit bizarre. Then it was on to Seisia Beach where we camped for 4 nights - fortunately - as it was not until day 3 that they flew in. I'm not an early riser except when it comes to birds so when I heard that distinctive whistle -way before the sun came up - I knew this was going to be the day. First shots were in almost blackness - just a silhouette - and then as the sun rose the photos got better and better. I spent a glorious hour (and 500 photos) taking pics from all angles - some on the ground, some feeding in the beach almonds and a few on the wing. "Good Morning!" is the first of my linocuts. Really wanted to capture those crazy crest feathers and that endearing, quirky face. Some other compositions are in progress.
We ventured to Cape York again in 2024 but did not have another "photo shoot" - different year,different season. These birds are very rare in Australia and their future is not guaranteed - due to the usual man-made problems of habitat clearance (they require a nesting hollow that is around 200 years old) and climate change fuelled extreme weather events like fires and cyclones.
I hope you fall in love with my "Palmie" and perhaps consider how you can help the species survive in a continuing difficult environment.
We ventured to Cape York again in 2024 but did not have another "photo shoot" - different year,different season. These birds are very rare in Australia and their future is not guaranteed - due to the usual man-made problems of habitat clearance (they require a nesting hollow that is around 200 years old) and climate change fuelled extreme weather events like fires and cyclones.
I hope you fall in love with my "Palmie" and perhaps consider how you can help the species survive in a continuing difficult environment.