Native birds visit our garden every day. There's food for them in the form of bugs and grubs and juicy worms. There are birdbaths for drinks of freshwater and feather-cleansing, splashy swims. There's shelter and "just-right" nesting spots in the many trees and shrubs in and around our garden. The verandah railings, fences and tree tops offer perfect places to perch and observe the world before taking flight. And, of course, the humans provide much entertainment as they go about their work in the garden...and occasionally toss up (or dig up) a free lunch!
A kookaburra waiting for a free lunch!
Kookaburras are among the birds that visit us daily. They love to sit on our back fence and wait for tasty morsels to present themselves. When one's infectious laughter begins, it's not long before a whole riot of them are cackling away together; a distinctive avian chorus that echos out and around the hills.
Nicknamed "the laughing jackass", the kookaburra is such an iconic Australian bird whose laughter is always welcome here in our garden. Their joyous noise is a lovely reminder of the power of laughter in one's day!
I hope you'll find something to have a long laugh over today. (Just start with a chuckle before throwing your head back, opening your beak and cackling wholeheartedly for a significant length of time...like this!)
Meg
p.s. If you'd like to read more about this unique bird, the Birdlife Australia website has a great profile. There's an audio file, at the bottom of the webpage, that you can click on to hear the Kookaburra's laugh.
I love Kookaburra's. He's a real cutie too. I've always loved the sound of whip birds.
ReplyDeleteWe have whip birds here too, Cheryl, and I remember them in the forests of where I grew up.
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