Bushwalk Australia

Between bendigo and castlemaine on the GDT there were several flocks of birds, I never really got a better look than a black shadow against the sky.

They had a very distinctive call, almost like a big group of kids crying/screaming. and made the atmosphere on the old flood type plains very very eerie.

Sorry I can't give more info.

Sounds like yellow tailed black cockatoos Drakkar. Either that or Flying nuns.

Empty wrote:Sounds like yellow tailed black cockatoos

Drakkar, click on this link to hear what yellow tailed black cockatoos sound like. This might confirm if Empty's suggestion is correct.

http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/sites/w ... nereus.mp3

Kids screaming isn't really similar to their call, and they don't move in big flocks. How big were the flocks ? How high were they flying ? Did you see them take off/land, what type of habitat was surrounding you (forest, plains, mallee ?) ? Were they big birds ? Are you sure they were mostly black birds ?

Could be white-winged choughs ?? - they do hang in flocks and certainly have a distinctive harsh call. As well as the screechy call they have a whistling firecracker call when disturbed. they're a great bird and we have noticed them much further east this year, along the great divide, possibly because of drought out west.

agree with mickyb - try the birdsinbackyards website.

Hallu wrote:Kids screaming isn't really similar to their call, and they don't move in big flocks. How big were the flocks ? How high were they flying ? Did you see them take off/land, what type of habitat was surrounding you (forest, plains, mallee ?) ? Were they big birds ? Are you sure they were mostly black birds ?

I spose it depends on what you consider constitutes a flock. They are regular visitors to our property in groups up to a dozen or so. They are particularly attracted to the pine trees when the cones are very young and create a real bombardment by cropping them off. At other times they are more common in pairs but their call is very distinctive. My other thought was choughs which are also very common in this area but they tend to be most raucous when on the ground and disturbed.

I do still like the idea of flying nuns though.

Empty wrote:

Hallu wrote:Kids screaming isn't really similar to their call, and they don't move in big flocks. How big were the flocks ? How high were they flying ? Did you see them take off/land, what type of habitat was surrounding you (forest, plains, mallee ?) ? Were they big birds ? Are you sure they were mostly black birds ?

I spose it depends on what you consider constitutes a flock. They are regular visitors to our property in groups up to a dozen or so.

I have seen them in flocks of about 40 but I think this would be rare. We commonly see them in our area, usually in groups of about 8.

Could have been Corellas, plenty of them down that way in big flocks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WC6IMpuiRs

Although it's more like kids squabbling than crying and screaming.

Black cockatoo's sound closest. They were in the lush grasslands/flood plains in between the really rocky dry sections between bendigo and castlemain.

When I get some time I'll dig around that site and report back

MickyB wrote:

Empty wrote:

Hallu wrote:Kids screaming isn't really similar to their call, and they don't move in big flocks. How big were the flocks ? How high were they flying ? Did you see them take off/land, what type of habitat was surrounding you (forest, plains, mallee ?) ? Were they big birds ? Are you sure they were mostly black birds ?

I spose it depends on what you consider constitutes a flock. They are regular visitors to our property in groups up to a dozen or so.

I have seen them in flocks of about 40 but I think this would be rare. We commonly see them in our area, usually in groups of about 8.

Every year we get them in the big pines behind our house, there is easily a hundred or more. It is the most amazing sight and sound when they all take off at once.