Birds Around My Place

Hi everyone, one or two have expressed a wish to see some of the birds I have mentioned in previous posts - so here they are, taken from the "The Field Guide to Birds of Australia" by Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight. These are some of the birds we get around here.

Channelled Billed Cuckoo. Lays its eggs in crows' nests. Large, raucous bird, but rather lovely.





Rainbow Lorikeets. Small, gregarious and social birds. Love getting the nectar from the flowers of the umbrella trees and getting positively squiffy on them. Noisy, quarrelsome and comical birds.

Pied Currawong. Quite a big bird, very handsome with a lovely call which is quite distinctive. A meat eater.

The famous Laughing Kookaburra. It's a biggish bird who loves meat and will grab it off your plate or out of your hand at picnic areas. Sits in the tree and laughs maniacally. The Aboriginal people use him as an alarm clock, because they say when the kookaburra laughs early in the morning, it is 30 minutes till dawn.

Australian Wood Duck. We have heaps of these things and I don't know how many times I've had to slam on the brakes because mama, papa and the kids are crossing the road.

Pied Butcherbird. Another meat eater with the most beautiful song. The notes are so pure they seem to hang in the air.

Australian King Parrot. Very colourful large bird, never used to be seen down this far but over the last few years has become more common. A seed and nut eater

Pheasant Coucal. Very clumsy bird with a call like water glugging down a drain. Not sure what it eats, probably insects.

Galah. These birds make great pets and can be taught to talk. My daughter has one and Molly is a great mimic. My daughter thought her dog was whining to go outside - it was the bird! They have the most beautiful colours. This picture doesn't really do them justice. Seed and nut eater and likes fruit (Molly does anyway, she'll eat anything - bread, cake, has a cup of tea. She doesn't know she's a galah, she thinks she's human.)

Koels or Storm Birds. So called because they call when it's going to storm or rain. They are going to town as I write this and looking out the window, it looks like rain!

And last but not least, the Magpie. They have the most beautiful carolling song and are very friendly, especially when one feeds them, as I do. They love cat biscuits and are meat and insect eaters. During breeding some can swoop, but ours are well mannered birds and we don't have any of that nonsense!







These are just some of the birds in my backyard. I'll put some more on next time.

As for other news. Nikki is doing well and of course, wants to come home, but I can't see that happening for a while. Her partner has brought their son in and they are both staying in a motel across the road from the hospital. So she sees them every day.

My youngest daughter has decided to go back to work. Not because they really need the money but she wants to provide extras for the family like a cruise around the Pacific which they are going to do in about 18 months. She doesn't think it's right her partner should provide for all that, so she's got herself a managerial position and is busy making plans for her family.

Young Master Cooper is growing so fast. If you watch him carefully, you can actually see the growth!! He's finding his voice and is getting quite rowdy, but is such a placid, smiley baby and so chubby, I want to eat him!

As for me, well I'm doing what I usually do. Working, socialising, drinking coffee with friends and family - you know the drill.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.