I saw my first wild Cockatiel at Goschen Bushland Reserve on the weekend. I have seen a Cockatiel on the road near the You Yangs previously but I had assumed it was an injured escapee. The birds on the weekend were true wild Cockatiels. They were easier to approach than the other local parrots and cockatoos and were beautiful in flight, wide wings, flashing white markings and a lovely call which was easy to pick out amongst the other birds calling at the reserve. I found this little family a few times over the three days that I visited the reserve. A highlight of the trip north into the mallee country
Cockatiel, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Goschen, Victoria
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I found a small family flock of 4 including an immature Cockatiel
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Feeding on the new spring growth
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Immature Cockatiel, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Goschen, Victoria
The Gap Year and Beyond 
Cockatiel, who knew they were wild. I need to get out into the world. Very nice.
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yeah and pretty widespread but not very common in my southern state, prefers drier, hotter more arid zones and is quite a common aviary bird. I was pretty pleased to see this wild flock. Next I need to track down wild budgies…
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Great pics! The one you call immature may very well be the girl of the pack. All chicks look like this until after their first mold 😉 If they are males, they get the very yellow face with orange cheeks. Hope you don’t mind my son using one of your pics for his primary school presentation to illustrate the habitat of these wonderful birds. Of course, we will refer to you as the source of the pictures.
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Happy for you to use the images Petra, let me know if you need larger files.
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Hello! I know these photos were posted a while ago, I’m hoping you still keep an eye on it. I’d like to ask for your permission to use the photo of the family in an educational article I’m working on in regards to how wild grassland parrots forage. The actual website where the article will be shared isn’t live yet, but you can find us on instagram @alittlebudgietoldme if you’d like a peek of some of the stuff I’ve done. You would of course be given credit as the photographer. Thanks in advance!
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Sure Mary, sounds fine, let me know if you would larger versions of the photos or the raw versions…
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Awesome, thank you so much, I appreciate it! It downloaded plenty high-quality, so I think I’m okay, but I’ll let you know! Thanks again!
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