Sometime between 6-8 January 2010, 145 Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos died at the golf course in the coastal town of Hopetoun, with 63 more dying at Munglinup, 75 km to the east.

Post mortem results indicated the most likely cause of death being daytime temperatures reaching in the high forties to low fifties, accompanied by hot northerly winds of over 60km/hr.

Does it matter that 208 birds are subtracted from the estimated world population of 40,000? Small acts can have big local impacts.

Over time, increased frequency of climate-related events adds up to long-term shifts. Local populations are divided and genetically isolated. Specimens are dissected and fragmented. Land is cut and disassembled. What kind of apology can we offer? What will move us to action—to put the parts back together again?

This artwork is composed of postcards mailed from Hopetoun, Munglinup, Perth and Melbourne to the CLIMARTE gallery in 2023.