A while ago, I did this sketch of sulphur-crested cockatoos which congregate in their hundreds at this time of year in Canberra to eat acorns.
Today, on another bike ride, the unbelievable happened. A cockatoo left its busy gang and flew into my front bikewheel where it got entangled and stuck as I was flying along. I stopped, quite shocked at the sight of the squawking, flapping bird. A woman rode past, saying she couldn't possibly stop to help. Then two guys stopped and after covering the bird's head with a jacket, were able to disentangle it.
It had lost a lot of feathers but no parts seemed to be broken, so they let it go and it flew messily away, feathers awry - poor creature - I don't suppose it will do that again. I sketched this when I got home.
Today, on another bike ride, the unbelievable happened. A cockatoo left its busy gang and flew into my front bikewheel where it got entangled and stuck as I was flying along. I stopped, quite shocked at the sight of the squawking, flapping bird. A woman rode past, saying she couldn't possibly stop to help. Then two guys stopped and after covering the bird's head with a jacket, were able to disentangle it.
9 comments:
Oh my goodness.....what odd behavior! Nonetheless, you got a great sketch from it!
IIIEEYYY! Glad he survived, silly bird. Makes you wonder what the heck he was thinking!
The bottom picture really shows the struggling movement of the bird. Must have given you quite a fright.
Your previous post reminds me of the spoonsfuls of Virol - I think it was - that the nuns made me have every day, because they thought I needed fattening up. It tasted delicious and unfortunately was very effective.
Heavens! I have to say they are a nuisance here and John sees them off with a gun, not allowed to shoot them but the noise scares them off, they come in a rush and eat the calves feed as well as digging up the newly sown paddocks.
They are big strong birds to try and untangle from a bike wheel.
YIKES! How traumatic for you both!
Dumb bird. That will teach it to stay with the crowd. Individualists always get their comeuppances! grrr.
(Actually that would have been really a big shock. You did well not to fall off!)
Thankgoodness you are alright. Robert was out on a training ride a couple of years ago when a brown snake got caught in his spokes. He tried to get it out without killing it but in the end had to kill it, glad you didn't have to do that for the poor bird. Great sketch
What a ride! I'm glad you didn't do your drawing on the spot!
I couldn't handle a situation like that - I can't touch birds.
We saw many of these cockies on our trip back from
Adelaide today - around the Grampians areas. They were on the road quite close to the passing Big-Double trucks!
w.
Now THAT'S a story! While reading it I figured that's one dead bird, so I was shocked it lived. I'm just getting into loaded touring and really like what you've done with combining biking and sketching. It inspires me to do the same.
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