Every single day we have a large flock of Long-Billed Corella fly South over our land  shortly after Sunrise, and return Northward just before Sunset.  We don’t know where they come from, or where they go to each day. It is one of nature’s mysteries.  Rarely do they land here.  If they do, it is only a single bird or a pair.  Never more.

A week ago, I took a mid-day walk through our bushland, looking for new native plant growth.  Two Long-Billed Corellas were calling loudly in a tree nearby, so it was good to get a few photos of these birds. On the ground. I find that Corellas often look ungainly and comical, so  I was struck with how beautiful and graceful they looked in the tree with the blazing sunlight highlighting their pink faces and chests. The sun also highlighted the pink and red colours of the tree bark.  The colour of bird and the bark side by side.  Suddenly the colouring of Long-Billed Corellas made sense.

The two birds seemed to be curious about what I was doing, bending forward to peer down at me, turning their bodies to face me as I changed direction to frame the photograph. As I stood there, they pulled at loose bark – probably searching for insects beneath it.  As they were in no hurry to leave, I stood and watched them for about half an hour.  When I left, they were still playing around with the bark and calling out to each other.  They were delightful to watch and I came back into the house feeling very buoyed by the encounter!