Dennis The Knowledgable sez:

>Birds are common in Australia. We saw our first
>Sulphur-crested Cockatoos flying across the road just after we left the
>airport!

I'll say Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are common! Driving around the farm
country surrounding Cairns and towards the Atherton Tablelands, they
can be seen in immense flocks. To the US birder, at first it appears
the fields are full of flocks of gulls - just to give you some idea
of scale and numbers. A stop and a look and a healthy "holy s**t!!!!"

Actually, though, only common birds are common in Australia. The rare
ones are ... rare! :)

-Don Baccus-