Menoturals; Saturday Sounds Of Nature

Today's bird song is from yet another of Australia's icons - the Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo). In the home I had before Asquith, at Wahroonga, I had a family of these amiable critters who liked to hang out on the Hills Hoist (rotary washing line). Six of them, no less. I learned that I could not leave Jade's breakfast outside... so she got to eat in the utility room. Instead, I bought insect food pellets designed specifically for Aussie carnivorous birds (yes, the Magpies and Currawongs Butcherbirds all loved them) to treat the tribe. 

Each had distinct feather patterns that I could tell them apart. They got named Peter, Piper, Picta, Peesa, Pickled and Pepper... Peter was undoubtedly at the top of the pecking order. Pickled (pictured here keeping an eye on Jasper Cat) was the gentlest and grew to be the most frequent visitor, sometimes sitting in the Jacaranda tree for the whole day as Jade and Jasper and Jet and I enjoyed our backyard beneath him (or her - I never did work that out!).

Here's a film from a bloke in Brisbane who has his own tribe - and the balcony acts like an amphitheatre for their racous laughter...