Helpful Galahs at Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Galah taking part in the Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Over recent days I’ve been writing about the Free Flight Bird Show at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. This show is, in my opinion, a must see when visiting this wonderful zoo. The talk by the keepers about Australian birds is interesting enough, but the antics of the trained birds are not only entertaining but are highly educational as well.
One of the birds in the show is a clever Galah shown in today’s photos. It is trained to collect a coin or a note from a willing spectator in the audience and then bring it back to the keeper, who pockets the money. A few minutes later the Galah returns the money to the hapless audience member. After the show audience members can get up close to some of the birds, including the Galah. This time the bird is trained to collect coins donated by people and to deposit them in a money box. In this way, over $75,000 has been collected in recent years towards conservation projects. This also enable people like me to have excellent photo opportunities.
Further reading:
Galah taking part in the Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Barking Owl, Taronga Zoo
Barking Owl, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
The Barking Owl is one of Australia’s owls and can be found in many parts of Australia from northern Australia, Queensland, through NSW and southern Victoria and parts of South Australia and Western Australia. Its preferred habitats include woodlands and forests.
The bird I’ve featured on this post is a captive one at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. It is featured in their very popular Free Flight Bird Show. This show, a major draw-card at the zoo twice daily at noon and 3pm, it always a highlight when we visit. It is also a great opportunity to take photos of birds close up.
Further reading:
Barking Owl, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Barn Owl, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Barn Owl, Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
When we go to Sydney to visit family, we always try to fit in a visit to the wonderful Taronga Zoo. I would recommend this world-class zoo to all visitors to the city. Set aside a whole day as the collections of birds and animals are extensive.
As a part of your visit schedule in one of the Free Flight Bird Shows. These are held daily at 12 noon and 3pm. The keepers give a running commentary while free flying birds from the zoo’s collection do various tricks and displays. On this post I have featured a Barn Owl, a well-known Australian bird found throughout much of Australia. In the photo above the owl is rewarded with a morsel of food hidden behind the rock in the photo. Its signal to “capture” its prey was the recorded call of a frog from a speaker hidden in the rock.
Barn Owl, Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Barn Owl, Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Black Kite, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Black Kite, Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Whenever we visit Taronga Zoo in Sydney we always make a point of watching the Free Flight Bird Show. This show is on every day at 12 noon and 3pm and it always draws a large crowd, so my advice is to get there 10-15 minutes before the show commences to ensure a seat in the amphitheatre. The seats have a panoramic view of Sydney Harbour, so the wait is never boring.
On our last visit earlier last year I was able to get this close up shot of a Black Kite, one of the birds featured in the show. This is a relatively common species in many places in Australia including my home town of Murray Bridge in South Australia, yet I’ve not been able to get a good close up photo previously.
Related posts:
Brolga, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Brolga during the Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
One of the “must see” exhibits when visiting Sydney’s Taronga Zoo is the Free Flight Bird Show. This show is a part of your zoo entrance fee, meaning that once you are in the zoo property there is no extra cost to see the show.
The show, which runs for about a half hour, is held at 12 noon and 3pm daily, but my advice is to arrive early to get a seat in the amphitheatre overlooking the harbour. The seats fill quickly for each show.
During the presentation the zoo keepers give many details about Australian birds and their habits and this is accompanied by antics performed by free flying birds from the zoo collection. It is highly entertaining while being very educational.
I will be featuring several of the birds shown over the coming days. Today’s bird is the Brolga, one of our larger birds. The Brolga is found in large numbers in northern Australia but is becoming scarcer in the south eastern part of the country.
Its preferred habitats are varied, and include wetlands, swamps, irrigated pastures, grasslands, cereal crops and sometimes open forest areas. It is a large bird with a height of between 70 and 130cm and with a wing span of 1.7 – 2.4 metres.
Further reading:
Brolga during the Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Audience waiting for the Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney