GoPro on Galahs

The Galah is one of the 4 most widely recognised Australian birds - the other 3 species being the Australian Magpie, Magpie-lark (or Peewee) and the Willie Wagtail.  Galahs are actually a bird of the arid interior, and only arrived in Perth in the 1960’s following a large expansion of their range.  This was because the species benefited enormously from agricultural land-clearing, and is now a common breeding resident in the Perth Hills.

I’ve had a pair nesting in my nest-boxes in Parkerville for the last 4 years.  This year I installed a tiny GoPro sports camera inside the box to keep watch of the parents incubating.  The Galah is the only Australian species of cockatoo that lines the inside of its nest hollow with eucalypt leaves - all other species lay on the bare sawdust.  Eggs are laid 1-2 days apart, so hatching at different times.

Here are some of the first glimpses of the female incubating, then the first egg hatching.  The cutest bit is at the end where the female joins the male and both sit inside the nest.

Gentle Galahs from Simon Cherriman on Vimeo.