Pic by Gemma Wiseman ~ Kookaburra at Tootgarook, Mornington Peninsula
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Camera Critters #20
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If there is one Australian bird that is tuned in to humanity, it must be the kookaburra. We have befriended a number of these wild, "laughing" birds. (Scruff was our original friend and now his family are regular visitors!) They know my car and appear for food and attention when my car arrives home from work. They have been known to fly alongside my car on several occasions when I leave home at weekends. (But not workdays!) The flight can last past half a dozen houses beyond my home!
Patience is a strength. The whole extended family will wait for up to an hour in a gum tree above my driveway. It is so cute to see 4-6 of these little critters sitting on a branch together, hoping we will appear with food. (Scruff used to call with a full, throaty laugh on the verandah railing or even tap on the lounge room window, but these guys don't laugh till AFTER dining! We have to guess when they are there, though it is usually about 7am and at dusk!)
They look like fluffy toys. Yet pics of them can be so difficult! They tend to like the shadowy spaces of leaves. As they feed on the ground, their bodies seem to flatten out and so not very photogenic. Each one is quite a distinct personality. There is the extrovert, the cheeky one, the curious and the very shy, timid one.
These pics were taken, unbelievably, by the sea. Drizzling rain, and I was walking the coastal track by Tootgarook beach on Port Phillip Bay. I thought I heard a clearing of the throat above my head, looked up, and there he was. Frail sunlight highlighted him, and there were no shady leaves! I could hardly believe my good fortune! I took 2 pics, but then a bikerider rode by and the kookaburra flew! But I had 2 pics clearer than usual!
Pic by Gemma Wiseman ~ Kookaburra at Tootgarook
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Pretty dark eyes waiting on a branch
Sweet family sharing and caring
A little fluffy laughter on the wing
A glass of happiness for humanity
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15 comments:
This is a wonderful read. There was a song we sang at summer camp around evening campfires when I was just a young pre-teen. "Kuookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry, merry, ...life has he, Laugh Kuookaburra, Laugh Kuookaburra, sing your song for me."..., or something like that :-) Your posting today brought back those memories to me.
beautiful! you've got really good pictures of the bird!
He is a handsome birdie!
Ann beat me to the song - I was trying to read and sing at the same time.:)
Excellent capture.
Ha! I was singing it too!! lol
The kookaburra : that appeals to my imagination. I will never see one IRL. He looks spectacular, beautiful, exotic, and cute. Cool how they behave ! What do you feed them ? are they insectivores ? I will google the sound they make, perhaps I can find that. Wonderful photos !!!
Nice shots of the bird great post.
That is different from any bird that I would hope to see in NYS. Nice when you can make a connection to something in our environment that some people would ignore...
Fabulous shot of a Kookaburra! I've never seen one! Great post!!
i think they are so cool something about the shape of the head and their sound resonating sandy
You have quite a following there Gemma with the Kookaburra family,theres nothing quite like them, they are a magnificent bird and you've taken lovely shots of them, well done to you :0)
I love this! I'd love to hear them laughing at you, or with you as the case may be!
i have heard of these birds but did not know what they looked like. they are so cute!
I really enjoyed this post! That would be SO cool to have these guys visit all the time.
Hmmm camp memories!! Our version of the Kookaburra song had him eat all the gumdrops he could see! Nice photo - I have only ever seen one is a zoo here!
He really is showing his best side. A perculiar bird with a raucous sound. Excellent catch.
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