Laughing Kookaburra and Wild Bird Wednesday

Hi and welcome.
        One of the privileges I have where I rent is an array of birds visit.
Some are regulars, some are seasonal.
        This Post is about one of those who are both regular and seasonal, depending on the weather... the Laughing Kookaburra - Dacelo novaeguineae.

        Towards the end of 2012, a local pair checked out an old unused termite nest reasonably high up on a tree near the entrance to the property where I am.
They did the same again towards the end of 2013.

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Hosted by Stewart M of Melbourne Australia

        I've had the pleasure for both those occasions to experience their routine with the nest and the babies which resulted.  One emerged in January 2013, the other in January 2014.

        For this sharing it will be about the baby who emerged in 2013 and the parents.  The parents are in the introductory photo, and did very well.

        Firstly one of the parents sitting on my clothesline in the morning during early January 2013 ...
 

        Summer was very dry and hot, and food was requested.  The greatest honour the parents gave me was to feed their youngster with the food I was giving.

        By the end of January 2013 rain came...

        As you can see by the photo, not only is Kooky very wet but so is the ground.  You can also see how dry the season was by the colour of the ground, but it was not long before the ground became a lush green again.  Before the rains, even the leaves on trees were curling up and brittle to touch.
        Always has me smile with how quickly brown dry grass becomes green again with sufficient rain.  Green shoots emerge even as the rain is happening.

        After good rain, a clean blue sky creates a wonderful backdrop for a Kookaburra photo...

        Now that you've met one or both parents individually... try as I did to recognise different markings on each so I would know, I dismally failed, so I cannot be precise who was who.  Plus my lack of knowledge prevents me from recognising which is mum and which is dad.

        The next important part is introducing you to the nest...

Spangled Drongo and Wild Bird Wednesday

Welcome,
     I've wanted to do a Post about the Spangled Drongo for quite some years, but only now do I have a semblance of reasonably decent photos to share with you, and all thanks to Nikl, my Coolpix Nikon L120.  I'm really pleased to have what I have.

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Wild Bird Wednesday 91

Hosted by Stewart M in Australia

        I first encountered the Spangled Drongo during the late 1970's - early 1980's, while I lived in Hervey Bay Queensland Australia.  At the time I was explained they travelled from Java each year.  So I at first thought they were only visitors to Australia.
        From that time until 2007, while living closer to the township of Gympie in Queensland Australia I met a Spangled Drongo again, and we became friends.
        Then in 2009 I moved to where I am now in Gympie.  Known as Southside, a little out of town, and a much nicer environment surrounds us.  That's all fine, but I was not able to say good-bye to my friend Spangles. It was the wrong time of year for Spangles to be present as it was Summer and January.  Spangles wouldn't be arriving until the end of February, which is also the end of Summer in Australia.
        Then towards the end of February, every morning I began hearing the sound of the Spangled Drongo.  It's not a melodic sound, it's more like an alarm warning call, and birds usually do scatter when they hear it, but the sound is welcomed music for my ears.
        Each morning I went out in response to the call, and each morning I would see a Spangled Drongo in the distance high on a lifeless tree branch, and I'd wonder.
        So I began asking the Spangled Drongo if he/she was the friend I'd known instead of just wondering.
Days had passed, the morning ritual continued, until one morning he/she flew right to me, only veering when just in front of my face.
        My heart soared.  My Spangles friend used to hover in front of my face while we chatted and I offered food it took, so I thought just maybe it is.
        The next instance happened while I was in the yard with my then beautiful lady dog Felicity... the Spangled Drongo surprised me by flying to me from behind, brushed my hair and continued flying after I spun to see who'd touched me.
From then the old ritual we had began again.
        Spangles always knew where I slept, even though couldn't see in to know.  So if I wasn't awake, Spangles would do the loud vocals to awaken me.  I'd say hello and get-up to go to the back door of where I now reside, and I'd be followed by Spangles flying outside having lots to say, still unable to see where I was, but definitely parallel to the path I moved along inside, and I'd be met exactly the moment I arrived at the back door.
        I believe the Spangled Drongo I've been greeted every year by here since, is the same Spangled Drongo I befriended in the previous dwelling.  I believe he/she found me.
        I cannot prove that, and I don't mind if it isn't even true.  All I know, is that the time taken to ensure I'm me, and the behaviour that followed when the Spangled Drongo had made certain I'm the same person, was the behaviour I had come to know with my friend I call Spangles.
So this Post for me is personally special.

        The first thing I'll add is a map showing the range of the Spangled Drongo - Dicrurus bracteatus, simply because there are quite a few varieties of the bird known as the Drongo, but only one actually is natural to Australia, and that is the Spangled Drongo...

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=6045

        As you can see, the Spangled Drongo likes the northern and eastern areas of Australia, and is also found in New Guinea and Indonesia.  So from where exactly the Spangled Drongo I first encountered in Hervey Bay came from I really don't know.  Nor do I know where my friend Spangles comes from and goes to each year.
        What I do know is my Spangles arrives towards the end of February, and then leaves sometime in October, which is the second month of Spring in Australia.  Gympie I find has a lot of Spangled Drongos in the area during that time span.

Finally some photos...
     These were done during August of 2013, about 4pm..

        The clothes line is the feeding Post.  I toss, Spangles catches, until I'm expected to achieve the toss directly within reach without flight being necessary.  It's fun.  And that head seems to never stop moving with constantly checking the surroundings and voicing opinions.
        I've always found with Spangles once our initial arrival greetings are over, I'll only see he/she now and then.  Just a stop by for a chat, sometimes a munchy.  But that changes usually during August - Winter, when visits are for food.  Then the visits are daily, often twice, and sometimes become three times a day when nearing October - Spring.  By then I also know the time is approaching for farewells.  When happens, I awaken, and I just know Spangles has gone.  There just seems to be a quiet vacancy in the air.

Blue-faced Honeyeater plus Wild Bird Wednesday

Hi and welcome,
    With now having a camera instead of a phone to do photos with, I am discovering the pleasure and challenge of photographing Birds.
    The quality of the photos aren't wonderful, but I was never able to do Bird Photos at all with my phone, so I'm really having a lot of fun learning to photograph Birds.
    Though my Nikon L120 isn't able to give me the details I'd like to achieve and share, I'm still pleased to have the many photos I've acquired since December 2012, and hopefully you'll enjoy meeting the birds who visit my yard when I do Posts of them.
    A DSLR is on my goal to reach, but until then, may these photos, and others to come be enjoyable.

Sharing with 'Wild Bird Wednesday' 89

Hosted by Stewart M of Melbourne Australia 

        The Blue-faced Honeyeater - Entomyzon cyanotis - presented in the Introductory photo, is a regular visitor to the yard of my South East Queensland rental home.  As I continue photographing birds, I'll learn when Blue-face mainly visits... the Introductory Photo was done during December 2013, Summer for me in Australia.

        Continuing with Summer, but this time back in January 2013, here are photos of when Blue-face perched on the roof ledge outside the back-door...

        The reason for the curiosity about inside the house and me with the camera is because of the next photo....

        The Butcher Bird is the reason why.  The Butcher Bird visiting at the time is the Pied Butcher Bird - Cracticus nigrogularis - but isn't who this Post is about, but is the reason I have those photos.

        Blue-faced Honeyeaters, I've discovered, are very curious about what is going on when repeated activity is happening.  So with the Butcher Bird being a regular visitor to my back door, Blue-face decided to have a look and what was so interesting about being there.  Hence the first two photos, which I love.
Then with Butcher Bird looking across the yard, Blue-face followed the gaze to see what was interesting over there.
        I personally feel he/she didn't see anything to be of particular interest in the distance nor where the house was concerned or me, because left shortly after.