Feeding the Birds at Laura

Literally hundreds of Galahs queue up and patiently wait for the store to feed them around 5pm. They queue up on the powerline… I counted 64 on one powerline, and 5 lines is over 500 birds and there are as many on the ground waiting. When Harold comes with the container of crushed corn, the birds all follow without any squabbling or fuss and they eat every bit of corn. Its amazing watching them looking as if they are trained. Then they leave for their night roosting places. A horde of them come and sleep in the trees at Fairview and you can hear them in the morning as they wake up and depart for their days foraging.

The galah is often found in flocks of 10 to 1,000 individuals. Flocks of galahs often congregate and forage on the ground for food in open, grassy areas. The galah feeds on seeds gathered on the ground, mainly feeding in the morning and late afternoon. Idly, it will strip leaves and barks from trees, and large flocks have been observed to kill trees through defoliation.

The galah has historically been eaten by humans. Galah meat recipes were published in Australian newspapers in the 1930s, alongside jokes about the alleged toughness and unpalatable nature of the bird’s flesh. The recipe is as follows… You place a galah in a pan with water and a rock and simmer all day. When the rock is soft, you throw away the Galah and eat the rock..