books about australian native wildlife and a galah called whacker

Whacker of Woodside always awakens at dawn. Then after greeting Me in the morning, he joins his wild galah friends for breakfast out on the back lawn.

It's a good life for the native wildbirds of the Adelaide Hills. But sometimes, this white, pink and grey feathered 'parrot' can get cranky or bored if he must stay indoors when the weather isn't nice outside. Still, Whacker enjoys having the run of the house; playing games, climbing chairs or just wanting his human keeper to spend time with him.

Then at the end of the day, when all his wildbird friends have returned to their nesting trees, Whacker seems happy enough to trot out into the enclosed laundry room for an evening's rest on his own. "Good night, little bird."

Even though some galahs can live as long as 60 to 70 years, little old Me says he doesn't like the sound of that very much. For you don't need the Maths of a Rocket Scientist to work out how Whacker will probably be enjoying the prime of his life when the man himself is going to be pushing up daisies from an underground cemetery plot. Such is Life.

Speaking of life and death, at the beginning of their lives, baby galahs are hatched out of eggs, usually about 3 to 5 at a time. Their first home is where they want to be: perched up high in a large Eucalyptus tree, or safe and snug inside a tree hole - a comfy wooden hollow lined with fresh gum leaves.

Once galahs reach about 14 inches or 35 centimetres in length they are said to be fully grown. And how about this? It takes 12 to 18 months of life before Veterinarians can work out if they are boy or girl birds. It all comes down to the colour of their eyes; meaning male galahs develop dark black ones, while the females end up with eyes which are more reddish brown.

Whacker of Woodside has black eyes = A boy bird about 18 months old.

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