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.

 Sharing with 'Wild Bird Wednesday' 133
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...

Billbergia pyramidalis

      Billbergia pyramidalis... what a name, and always reminds of Bilbo and Pyramids... helps me to remember the name most times.

      I have done two other Posts about this flower a few years ago, this is another.  Couldn't resist seeing what my little Nikon L120 might produce.  I was a little disappointed in lack of sharpness, but gosh the results were still okay.  May you enjoy them.. 

Oh and very importantly

I wish you a truly beautiful and rewarding 2015

        Billbergia pyramidalis...
This next photo was done back in March 2011 with my phone Vivaz.  That year the neighbour's garden abounded with the flower and foliage colours.  I could sit on my back steps, collect mail or take out the bins and simply enjoy the view..

Quite a stunning display it was.

        The next lot of photos were done in February 2014, as is the intro photo... though I did notice in its file, that for some reason Nikl... my camera.. recorded the date as February 2013!  Which of course was not possible because we didn't get together until December 2013.  Oh well, that little mystery shall remain being a mystery.

        Now for a little information I may not have fully utilised in the early Posts I did for these flowers...
Billbergia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae.  The genus is named for the Swedish botanist, zoologist, and anatomist Gustaf Johan Billberg.
        Billbergia is native to the forests and scrubs of southern Mexico and Central and South America, with many species endemic to Brazil.  The genus can be found in altitudes reaching 1,700 m (5,577 ft).  That's quite high.
        Nice to think such flowering takes place way up as well as in everyday neighbouring gardens.
Information gathered from
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbergia