Monday, February 06, 2006

Galahs Love Dandelions

Felix Wilson writes: I found a flock of 4 Galahs on the roadside near Gould's Lagoon. They were pretty tame and allowed me to go within a metre or so to take these photos. They were feeding on dandelions as you can see. I don't know how much nutrient they get from them, but they obviously relish them. I know people make dandelion tea (although I've never tried it!) They are attractive birds and I was pleased to get so close to them.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Felix,
Great shots - and a species we don't OFTEN see around Tassie, though we used to see THOUSANDS of them where we lived on the mainland. I think we tended to overlook their beauty because of them being a pest in plague proportions.

Anonymous said...

While going to school in Kingston, i reguraly saw many flocks of Galah feeding on grasses and perched on the powerlines.
Further North you see them in flocks as well, sepecially around Hobart Airport.
but i had never seen them in huonville, they didnt seem to go further south than Kingston. But the other day i saw three on Huonville oval, two adults and a Juvi. im not sure if they were avary escapes of just brave birds that ventured south. I havent seen them since, but has anyone seen them any further than Kingston? or was it just a freek sighting?

BirdingTas said...

For many years the flock of Galahs at Kingston, usually around the golf course, was the only place in Tasmania where they could be seen with any certainty. Historically, a flock escaped from a ship moored in the Huon River in 1922 and lived in the bush. The Kingston flock was believed to be their prodigeny. I think many of the birds around now, are from escapees that now breed in the wild. Bellerive has a flock of around 30.