This fellow is one half of a pair of kookaburras that hang out around our house. They look like a giant version of our belted kingfishers (apparently they are the worlds largest kingfishers) and are easily identified by their distinct shape and infectious laughing call. They eat just about any kind of fish, snake, lizard or insect. They are very charismatic birds. Before this starts to sound like a book report, I have to say that one of the first birds I recall drawing in Grade 2 is a kookaburra as our teacher Mrs. Freeze nee Freel was from Australia. Perhaps that young age exposure to the exotic Australian fauna is what has drawn us into this adventure.
One of the flashiest birds in the backyard are these crimson rosellas. They a quite common and we often get them in the yard where the taller grasses haven't been mowed. They like to eat the seed heads.
These little birds are called blue or superb fairy-wrens and remind me of chickadees the way they flutter around. They are generally very tricky to get a photo of for that reason but this fellow seemed to cooperate for a few seconds while he pruned a few feathers.
We went for a hike last weekend and noticed one of the many types of cockatoos feeding in the trees. They were so focused on eating that they allowed for some interesting photos. These type are called gang-gang cockatoos and are supposed to be one of the earliest forms of cockatoo. Suphur-crested cockatoos are very common in this area, as are galahs and corellas. Anyway, the bird life here is quite fascinating and there is likely to be a post or two about them as more are photographed.
1 comment:
Amazing photos Sean!! Sounds like life in your backyard is going to be both perilous and highly entertaining!
I enjoyed the blog posts.
Take care Freys,
until later,
rebecca
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