Random Memories of Australia - Part 5

     It is a pleasure to continue to present some of Australia's fabulous birds. I hope you will enjoy them.

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

     I think it probable that if you were to ask most people to name one Australian bird, Laughing Kookaburra would be what they would come up with.

They might even be familiar with its distinctive "laugh", which has been used in countless movies where the location and the voice of the bird have no connection, but Hollywood never let that stand in the way of a good sound effect!

     It is a common bird that we saw almost daily in all three states that we visited, beginning with our first day at the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.

     King "fisher" is a bit of a misnomer for several members of the family Alcedinidae which have little reliance on fish. Laughing Kookaburra is primarily a dry eucalypt or woodland specialist, and water does not feature greatly in its habitat choices.

     Its diet reflects these preferences - lizards and snakes, insects, earthworms, crayfish, rodents, amphibians and other miscellaneous items. Laughing Kookaburra is an opportunistic predator in fact and will take just about anything it can capture, including the young of other species.

     Kookaburras have embraced bird feeders, where they are known to relish cheese and raw meat.

     It is a really interesting bird to encounter and does not shy away from human contact.

     It never failed to bring a smile to our faces.

Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)

     Having introduced you to Eastern Rosella in the last series of Australian birds, permit me to introduce its kissing cousin, Crimson Rosella.

     The resemblance in form is instantly recognizable, although the colour scheme is quite different, of course. We actually saw Crimson Rosella more frequently than Eastern Rosella, but to see either one was pure delight. There are many cavity-nesting species in Australia and holes for nests are at a premium. An inspection of the hole above is underway, but competition for it will be fierce.

 

     Crimson Rosellas are very comfortable around humans. How would you like to look into your backyard as you sip your first coffee of the morning and see one of these beauties peering back at you?

     Native food consists of seeds of grasses, shrubs and trees, as well as a wide variety of fruits, berries, nuts, blossoms, nectar, insects and their larvae. Given the chance Crimson Rosellas can cause serious damage in orchards where a strategy of covering the trees with nets to deny them access to fruiting plants is practiced.

     For a bird lover from elsewhere in the world it is a sensational daily companion and I enjoyed every one I saw.

Red-browed Finch (Neochimia temporalis)

     Several estrildid finches call Australia home, but the only one we saw was Red-browed Finch, a perky, colourful little bird.

     In former times it was called a Red-browed Firetail and you will see why that name was especially appropriate.

    This is a very social species outside the breeding season, sometimes forming flocks of two to three hundred birds.

     It is principally a ground feeder, consuming ripe and half-ripe seeds. At the house we rented in Lilydale, VIC, the owner, knowing that we were birders had brought bird seed to the house, and by the time we arrived had attracted Crimson Rosella, Red-browed Finches, and a Laughing Kookaburra kept a watchful eye from an overhead wire.

     We were advised not to wander in the bush at the back of the property for fear of encountering poisonous snakes. A kookaburra is known to favour snakes as part of its diet, and readily feeds snakes up to thirty centimetres in length to its young. No doubt it made a handsome living in the bush behind the house.

     By strewing a little seed on the ground we were able to attract Red-browed Finches every morning - and very pleasant it was too! Even if they did turn their backs on us!

Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris)

     This a bold cockatoo, familiar to all who share its habitat. It readily takes advantage of benefits conferred by humans and may be found in parks where it can easily find food.

     It uses its strong upper bill to dig up tubers and other underground parts of plants. Ironically, most of its native fare was lost when rabbits and grazing livestock were introduced to Australia, and more than ninety percent of its food is from introduced plants.

     The two essential requirements for Long-billed Corellas are the reliability of seasonal food sources and the availability of suitable nest sites.

     We spent a couple of days birding with Andrew Patrick, author of the excellent Birds of Sydney and he told us of an interesting scheme to make nesting boxes attractive to species that tend to shun artificial sites. Branches of sufficient size that have fallen from trees are hollowed out to create suitable cavities, and it has been found that birds readily occupy such natural-appearing homes when mounted back on a tree.

     Australia's parrots and cockatoos are emblematic of the continent's bird life and anything that can be done to help them succeed is all to the good.

White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons)

     The diversity of form among honeyeaters is quite remarkable. White-fronted Chat is one of the plainest of species, but is possessed of a rare beauty nonetheless. When I contemplate the range of birds decked out in black and white the difference that two basic colours can create makes me scratch my head in wonder.

     We were very happy indeed to come across this male perched in full view at Narawntapu National Park in Tasmania.

     There were several females in the vicinity and since we were there in the breeding season this was no doubt a great vantage point for a territorial male.

White-fronted Chat ♀

    This species favours scrubby areas with low bushes and feeds mainly on the ground where it runs actively in short bursts.

     It feeds on insects of all types, including beetles, in addition to nectar.

     We certainly appreciated the cooperation of this individual.

Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)

     Wattlebirds are a distinctive component of the honeyeater complex, and ironically Little Wattlebird has no wattles! In other respects, however, it has the characteristic look of a wattlebird and is identifiable as such instantly.

     It is arboreal and seldom seen away from trees, where it is noisy and pugnacious. It favours open forest and coastal heath, especially with banksias.

     It forages in classic honeyeater fashion preferring nectar above all else, which it laps with a long brush-tipped tongue, but also consumes insects, often captured in mid air,  and fruit.

     We saw Little Wattlebird in the three states that we visited, and it was delightful every time.

     I hope you have enjoyed seeing and learning a little about six more Australian birds. Memories have been rekindled for me and I am happy to share them with you.

     There will be more to come!