07 February 2014

Kookaburra

Driving by the lake yesterday morning .. I backed up when I spotted the kookaburra; turned around enough so I could take these photos from the car.



hello Kooka; don't let me put you off



 showing quite some interest down at the ground


According to Birds in Backyards: Laughing Kookaburras feed mostly on insects, worms and crustaceans, although small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds may also be eaten.  You can read more from this fact-sheet.

 digging away but didn't seem to get anything other than a beak full of dirt



 back up again 

pondering, and then off, somewhere else

the open grassed areas aren't quite so green after the heat of summer. 

26 comments:

Elizabeth Edwards said...

hey there. hope you are doing well. 1st post for February. hope it will be an awesome month for you. ( :

too the bird - wow, i am glad you got to see him & took all these great shots. he sure does have amazing colors & i love those tail feather. super great! have a lovely weekend.

Jeanne said...

Lovely shots Carole! The kookabura really looks like a quite large bird, and such beautiful feathers and design. also this park looks very nice. Is this a pretty large lake?? Love your shots.

Carole M. said...

thanks Beth, had to take a bit of a blogging break; glad you enjoyed the kookaburra

Jeanne: It sure is a pretty big lake; being Australia's largest coastal salt water lake,at 24 km long and with 174 km of foreshore. Also claimed to be over four times the size of Sydney Harbour.

Irma said...

Beautiful pictures of the Kookaburra.
Also beautiful pictures of the lake.
Really well photographed, compliments Carole.

DeniseinVA said...

Wow! Now that's one kool kookaburra. Glad you turned around to take these great shots.

TexWisGirl said...

he's just wonderful!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Missed you. Good to take a break though. These are the birds that make the neat sound which movie people used to use in jungle scenes when we were kids long ago aren't they? Totally not a jungle bird but I've always associated their call to the African Jungle. Thanks movie people!

Carol Mattingly said...

Love his tail feathers.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

So glad you spotted him. These are great photos of the Kookaburra! Nice to see you back.

Bob Bushell said...

That is fantastic bird, I love it Carole.

Montanagirl said...

Hi there! Love your Kookaburra shots. What exactly do they eat anyway? Have a great weekend.

Lisa Gordon said...

What a sweet little face, and those markings are just beautiful, Carole.

Have a great weekend!

DIMI said...

Great shots Carole!Kookaburra is such a beautiful bird!When my daughter visit Byron Bay,last year,she saw many of them!She was thrilled!!Thank you for sharing!Wish you a lovely week!Oh,i miss Australia!
Dimi...

Carole M. said...

glad you each enjoyed the kookaburra, thanks for your comments.

John: there is a kookaburra audio on the Birds in Backyards factsheet link I've added just now; see if it brings back more memories.

eileeninmd said...

I just love your Kookaburra! Awesome photos! Have a happy weekend!

Roy Norris said...

Superb images Carole. The car makes a great bird hide.

Jan said...

Nice close-ups Carole!!!
Jan

Merlesworld said...

Great photos nothing beats the laugh of a kookaburra.
Merle............

Christian Perrin said...

Missed you on here Carole and glad you are sharing such lovely photographs with us once more! This series really tells a nice little story, you captured the moment well!

Phil Slade said...

Hi Carole. If and when I ever get to Australia I think I'd have to search out the Laughing Kookaburra. It seems such an iconic, approachable and photogenic bird. You got some great pics. Enjoy your Sunday - it's still Saturday here.

Stewart M said...

Splendid bird - I still get a bit of a kick out of seeing such an icon!

Your response to my skywatch image gave me pause for thought about the things I should post - but its a real issue, with terrible consequences.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Glad to see you back! How could you not love a bird that laughs, is as cute as this one, and has the most wonderful name in the world! Thanks for sharing him.

Dianne said...

I'm pleased you stopped and photographed the antics of this Australian icon. I don't see them unless I take a drive in the hills.

diane b said...

I just love your zoom ability. Great sequence of shots. I had two in the garden this morning making an unusual sound not the usual laugh but I was happy to see them again as they haven't been around for a long time the Noisy Miners chase them off.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi Carole Great close up of this bird. I once did a talk about Australian birds and did the call of this bird and nearly gave everyone a heart attack!!! When they recovered and stopped laughing , they wanted me to do it again!!! It was great fun.

Liz said...

I love Kookaburras! Those tail markings are lovely, aren't they?