Karrak...

Karrak or forest red-tailed black cockatoo of Western Australia are listed as vulnerable, and under Federal Environmental Protection.

These birds are incredibly precious and special to me, so seeing a nesting pair at Lake Leschenultia brought me to tears.

Finding nesting hollows is part of the issue for the survival of this species, but the main issue is the destruction of habitat by humans.

There's also having to deal with the deadly practice of prescribed burns at this time of year, which murders a lot of nesting wildlife. Instead of doing cold burns that indigenous people's did long before the arrival of the arrogant European settlers, which never harmed wildlife, yet managed the landscape perfectly. My understanding is this takes longer, and thus the more deadly practice of prescribed burns are carried out instead.

I despair at what humanity does to the environment, which is why I eat a plant based diet and use no chemicals in my garden. Protection of Gaia's creatures, plants and trees is extremely important to me.

It's not a lot but I do my little bit, such as planting a macadamia tree, as it's one of karrak's favourite foods. And interestingly so is the cape lilac tree, an introduced plant, which has show up randomly in my garden. Naturally I have nurtured the tree to encourage these beautiful birds into my little private realm.

Karrak are seen as proctectors and bridgers between realms, messengers and a sign ancestors are close by.

Their haunting call is something that sings to my soul as they glide overhead across the sky...