Kookaburra Cackles

I’ve not been having much luck photographing birds lately. Of course, when I stay within the warm confines of the house and try to snap photos from behind an icy window pane, what do I expect eh?

We have three beautiful pairs of cardinals that keep visiting the feeders right outside our front door, but I still haven’t gotten a decent shot of them. I missed the perfect photo on the weekend. I have a planter of cedar and pine greenery on the front porch from Christmas, complete with snow, icicles, red bow, and branches full of red berries. I looked out the door, and there, looking so perfect, was a female cardinal, perched in the greenery, nibbling on one of the red berries near the red bow…her red beak just matching so lovely…..just like a calendar….but of course by the time I ran for my camera, she had flown off. I have noticed that the male cardinals will carefully watch from a distance for danger while the females feed. Thank goodness the male was looking out for this female and called to her. She flew off in great haste, because suddenly a hawk swooped in to our yard. A hawk looks so gigantic next to a songbird...especially when you are just used to seeing them in the wide open spaces of the country. This was a rare sighting for the city…but of course, my hurried shot from the window of him in our crabapple tree, was too fuzzy to be of much use. Sigh. I would like to take lessons on how to use my camera better, but I think my greatest problem is that I’m not actually outside! I’m a fair-weather camera-person I’m afraid. Perhaps when the weather gets warmer, I’ll venture off on a great wilderness adventure to capture shots of creatures in the wild…..or... I’ll stay home by the fire and sip steamy herbal tea.

I read an interesting blurb on the weekend about the kookaburra bird that resides in Australia. Australians call them ‘laughing jackasses’. I guess when a bunch of them get ‘cackling’ they sound hilariously crazy. Did you know that kookaburras, termites, and moths depend on each other for their existence? Get this. The termites build a big nest in a tree. The kookaburras move into it by building a cavity in the side of it. They add a platform of sticks inside and lay their eggs on it. (The termites have no problem with this because it helps aerate their colony!). While the birds and termites are busy, the moths creep into the nest and lay their eggs which are timed to hatch at the same time as the kookaburra’s eggs. Then the moth larvae happily eat kookaburra ‘leftovers’ (yuck!). It’s like a whole maintenance crew thing going on. Then when the baby kookaburras and the moths leave, the termites then move in onto the twiggy nest platform and eat it. Apparently, if kookaburras don’t move into termite nests, their nests don’t last very long – they’re doomed without the kookaburras, and so are the moths. Amazing creation isn't it?
And so I can think of no more inspiring song to share than the one below....
this song is dedicated to our friends’ son who travelled to Australia last week.
Poor thing…he will be attending the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Sounds like sheer torture.

By the way, if you want to hear some kookaburras, click on the link below.....and then be extremely grateful if you live on the other side of the world, instead of anywhere near a gum tree! (no offense to those who live in Australia!)

http://www.honoluluzoo.org/kookaburra.htm.

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Merry merry king of the bush is he

Laugh, Kookaburra!

Laugh, Kookaburra!

Gay your life must be" ....(Don't read anything into this)

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Eating all the gum drops he can see

Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!

Leave some there for me!

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Counting all the monkeys he can see

Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!

That's not a monkey that's me

Kookaburra sits on a rusty nail

Gets a boo-boo in his tail

Cry, Kookaburra! Cry, kookaburra!

Oh how life can be!"

By Marion Sinclair