The 'laughing jackass' (Kookaburra) may be synonymous with Australia but they are not seen all that often in urban areas, nor even in country areas as much as they used to be. So I was quite excited to find this pair sitting on the powerlines just across the road. One of them showed quite a bit of interest in that small hole in the pole. Surely he couldn't have been thinking of expanding it to a suitable size for a nest? Perhaps he was just looking for food. They charmed us with a burst of 'laughter' before flying off.
(You may see them more clearly if you click on photos.)
Even though we are lucky enough to have them visit close by frequently, I am totally charmed by them, and their loud 'laughter'.
ReplyDeleteWe love the Kookaburras, I sometimes they come & sit in our Lilly Pilly.
ReplyDeleteI was told they only 'laugh', when it is about to rain.
We don't get kookas in our part of Melbourne, but there are plenty up near Castlemaine, EARLY in the morning. They always make me smile, especially when they're working up to a laugh with their gentle chuckles and gurgles.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to see the kookas! They're one of the things I miss most about Australia. They're certainly plentiful up around Port Stephens where we lived, and also at Palm Beach. Mum fed them in both places and they would become quite tame. She had a young one at Nelson Bay that would walk right into her living room sometimes, if she opened the door.
ReplyDeleteAs Val remarked, hearing them laugh always makes me smile :)
Your post reminds me of the song our children learnt when they started school (besides the first English song for them!) "Kookaburra sit in the old gum tree, merry, merry king of the bush is he". I never heard the bird laughing...And my daughter did not see one when she was in Australia for some months. You must be lucky to have now even a picture of them!
ReplyDeleteWe have kookaburras now and then around our nearby streets. They sit in trees near our house, but only once has one sat on the fence and looked at me while I begged him to laugh! I can't help chuckling every time I hear them.
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