Little Corellas at play

At Banyule Flats Reserve (Heidelberg, Vic) this morning, there was a big flock of Little Corellas feeding on the mown grass round the oval – meaning at least 200 birds. I did try to count them but many were out of sight behind oval banks etc. Most were feeding. I was able to drive the car pretty close to get photos. One bird caught my eye by apparently turning a somersault and ending up lying on its back. Another bird, presumably its mate, came up close and bird A got right way up. Bird B nibbled at Bird A’s breast – this looked affectionate. They would feed for a little, then Bird B would sneak up alongside or behind Bird A and bite at A’s leg, sometimes turning it over or onto its side. This happened repeatedly – frequently ending up with both birds flapping while apparently on their heads in the grass. It looked like wrestling, with the birds holding each others’ feet in their beaks.Bird A didn’t seem to mind B’s activities – made no attempt to fly away. Their antics were really very funny, and I wish I had remembered that my camera will in fact take a short movie (until its battery dies). Still photos don’t really convey the effect. My impression was that this was definitely play. At one point B seemed to try to mount A, but A side-stepped with agility. This went on for several minutes, but unfortunately a dog put the whole flock to noisy flight and they settled on power lines and nearby trees. And once on the power-line, I strongly suspect that Bird B was the one showing off by alternately hanging upside-down by one foot, and then hanging by its beak alone. None of the other Corellas in sight was indulging in these antics; they stuck to feeding. I shall put up a few of the photos on the Birdline Photo Gallery in the next few days. Another bird, apparently solo, found a discarded small empty plastic bottle of a coffee drink, and spent a lot of time trying to chew it, often from the neck, and otherwise playing football with it. I think this was play too, though not social. Anthea Fleming