Party animal flocks to the bright lights
Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 3:03 
Party animal flocks to the bright lightsTHIS little polly doesn't want a cracker - he's too busy living it up in the city.
Nicknamed "Party Boy", the sulphur-crested cockatoo is one of 27 that have been tagged so researchers can track them.
The cockatoos are thought to base themselves at the Royal Botanic Gardens but have been reported as far afield as Dee Why and Bexley.Wildlife management officer John Martin said all but one of the birds had returned to the gardens since the study began six months ago.
He said Party Boy didn't stray far from the CBD: "We have a record of him in Mosman but we regularly see him back in the gardens. He's a city boy, he might like the night life."The research is running alongside a similar project that uses numbered tags to track Australian ibis living in the gardens.
The success of both studies relies on residents reporting sightings of the birds on Facebook or via email.
Joseph Palmer, who photographed Party Boy on his Kirribilli balcony this week, said the young cockatoo was a regular visitor.
"He's very friendly - if you give him a peanut he will take it from your hands," Mr Palmer said.