A female Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo takes off from a Flame Grevillea at the (slowly regenerating) farmed areas of the Forrestania Research Plots. These were established in the 1960’s, with the aim of providing useful data on crop yields so that the extensive sandplains east of the Rabbit proof Fence could be opened up for farming. That plan didn’t proceed fortunately, and this Cockatoo belongs to one of the eastern most populations, with nesting occurring to the western border on the Great Western Woodlands. A fitting symbol of survival and renewal to start 2006 with!