Part of a moment

Today was a cool, cloudy day in Sydney, and Matt and I took the opportunity to go for a walk in the park before the afternoon rain rolled in. I strapped on my scarf and my raincoat, and we meandered through the streets until we found our way to our neighborhood's favorite parklands. We skirted the edge of the huge park, following a dirt running trail beneath the old Aussie trees, treading over thick tree roots, watching dogs fetch balls and families play soccer, and taking in views of the parklands from high roads and granite outcrops hidden in shady copses.

The birds were active, as they usually are before a rain storm, and at one point we happened upon a great flock of magnificent yellow-tailed black cockatoos. It was in the middle of our walk, as a heavy gray cloud passed overhead. We found ourselves on a grassy knoll on a sloping hillside, surrounded by big rocks, a stand of tall trees, and hundreds of these impressive birds that enveloped us in their chorus of foreboding sounds.

They flew from tree to tree, fanning out their huge yellow tails whenever they landed on tree branches, often flying overhead but never once landing on the ground to forage like their white, sulfur-crested cousins. I have been seeing them migrate through the park for the past few weeks, but this was the first chance I've had to see them up close. I was afraid (!) to get closer than a few meters, as they are frighteningly large (55-60 cm) birds, but somehow it felt more appropriate to watch silently from afar, to enjoy our place in the middle of this majestic moment without announcing our presence too loudly. They are much more beautiful up close than I expected from the pictures in my bird guides.

And so we enjoyed a moment alone with hundreds of these birds - a beautiful moment that lasted for about 3-4 minutes. And then they were gone, as quickly as we had discovered them. A loud noise sounded from somewhere, and they were off with a start, just hundreds of these birds with their hundreds of voices, soaring away overhead, covering every inch of the deep gray sky.

Living in Australia sometimes means having close, wonderful encounters with nature, and being moved by them.