Laughing Kookaburra

Last updates:

02.07.2014. photo 4,5. 

The Laughing Kookaburra is well known both as a symbol of Australia's birdlife and as the inspirational from the children's songs and is the largest member of the Kingfisher family.

Its song really sounds like laughing and when I heard it the first time I asked my self "Since when a monkeys lives around Perth ?"

You can hear its voice on the bottom of post. 

The Laughing Kookaburra has dark brown wing plumage and a white head and underside. Dark brown aye stripes run across its face and its upper bill its black. Its reddish-colored tail is patterned with black bars.

Laughing Kookaburras are found throughout eastern Australia. They have been introduced to Tasmania, south-west of Western Australia and New Zeeland.

Its habitat are most areas where there are eucalyptus trees.

Feed mostly on insects, worms and crustaceans, although small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds may also be eaten. Prey is seized by pouncing from suitable perch. Small prey is eaten whole, but larger pray is killed by bashing it against the ground or tree branch.

Photo: Jozef Skubin. 1,2,3, Swan river, Belmont 24.06.2013. 4,5, Walter Point, Swan River 29.06.2014 

Smejoča se Kookaburra je večkrat uporabljena kot simol ptic v Avstraliji in v mnogih otroških pesmih. Spada v družino Kingfisherjev in je največja izmed njih.

Njeno oglašanje res zveni kot smeh in ko sem jo prvič slišal sem se najprej vprašal " Od kdaj pa živijo opice tu okrog Pertha?"

Njen zvok lahko slišite na koncu tega opisa.

Smejoča Kookaburra ima temno rjavo perje na perutih, glava in rebušna stran pa je bela. Preko oči do zaglavja ima temno rjavi liniji in črn zgornji del kljuna. Po rdečkasto obarvanem repu ima temne linije.

Smejočo Kookaburrro najdemo v celotni vzhodni Avstraliji, naseljena pa je bila v Tasmanijo, jugovzhod Zahodne Avstralije in v Novo Zelandijo.

Njen habitat je povsod kjer je mogoče najti evkaliptusovo drevje.

Večinoma se hrani z insekti in raki pa tudi z manjšimi kačami, sesalci (miši itd..), žabami, celo pticami.

Plen napade iz primernega mesta in manjše živali pogoltne kar cele, z večjimi pa udari ob tla ali drevesno vejo.

     

Australian Darter

The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill and and long rounded tail. Often seen swimming with only neck visible above the water, or drying its wings while perched on a tree or stump over water. While its gait its clumsy on land it can soar gracefully to great heights on thermals, gliding from updraft to updraft. It has a cross shaped silhouette when flying.

In Australia the darter is found from Adelaide, South Australia to Tennant Creek, Northern Territory and then to Broom, Western Australia. It is also fund in South Western Australia, from Perth to Esperance.

The Darter lives in wetlands and sheltered coastal waters, mainly in the tropics and subtropics. It prefers smooth, open waters, for feeding, with tree trunks, branches, stumps or posts fringing the water, for resting and drying its wings. Most often seen inland, around permanent and temporary water bodies at last half a metre deep, but may be seen in calm seas near shore, fishing.

The Darter catches fish with its sharp bill, partly open while diving in water deeper then 60cm. The fish is pierced from underneath, flicked onto the water's surface and then swallowed head first. Smaller items are eaten underwater and large items may be carried  to a convenient perch and then swallowed.

I saw the Darter the first week after my arrival to Australia, but at time I wasn't much interested for a birds. Later I was looking for it and finally I catch it with my camera, last week, drying its wings on the bank of the Swan River.

Photos taken 1,2,3,Swan River

Darter pomeni kačjevratnik, prav po tem je ptič namreč tudi znan. Gre za vitko do 90cm visoko vodno ptico z dolgim kači podobnim vratom, ostro koničastim kljunom in zaobljenim repom. Kadar plava je iz vode mogoče videti samo vrat, pogosto pa suši peruti na posušenih obrečnih vejah ali štorih ki štrlijo iz vode.

Medtem ko je na tleh njegov način hoje zelo štorast, je v zraku čudovit jadralec, ki se ob dobri termiki, z kroženjem povspne do zavidljivih višin.

V Avstraliji ga je mogoče najti od Adelaida v Južni Avstraliji do Tennant Creeka v Severnem Teritoriju nato do Brooma v Zahodni Avstraliji. Nahaja pa se tudi v Jugozahodni Avstraliji od Pertha do Esperanca na južni obali.

Darter živi na mokriščih in območjih rek, prav tako tudi na odprtih obalnih vodah v glavnem v tropskem in subtropskem pasu. Najraje ima mirne odprte vode iz katerih štrlijo vodni štori in suhe veje na obrežjih na katerih počiva in suši krila.

Ribe lovi tako da plava z delno odprtim ostrim kljunom do 60cm in več globoko pod vodo. Ribo prebode od spodaj navzgor in nato ji nad vodno gladino odgrizne najprej glavo. Manjše delce požre takoj, pod vodo      

večje pa odnese na primernejši prostor kjer jih požre kasneje.

To ptico sem videl na obrežju reke Swan prvi teden, ko sem prišel v Avstralijo, vendar sem takrat imel opravka z drugimi stvarmi kot pa z fotografiranjem ptic. Kasneje sem jo dolgo iskal in končno jo ujel z fotoaparatom prejšnji teden, kako po jutranjem lovu suši krila na obrežju reke nekaj kilometrov severno od Pertha.  

Singing Honeyeater

The Singing Honeyeater can be found throughout most of the semi-arid and arid parts of Australia. There are 4 subspecies in Australia, all with small subtle differences.

Like most Honeyeaters feed on both, nectar and insects but their percentage of insect take much higher then nectar, which is reversal of many of the Honeyeaters.

Nest is a shallow cup of twined bark and grasses with spiders webbing bound from the rim to a fork.

Photos taken: 1,2,3 Herdsman Lake 4 Swan River 

Glossy Ibis

A bird find in parts of Africa, Asia and Australasia but is monotypic .

The smallest Australian Ibis, his a beautiful metallic bronze gloss when seen in full sunlight. Feeds on grassy edges of freshwater pools, has a preference of shallow waters.

Nests either on flats rafts of reeds located in small swamps or up in paperbark trees on flat twig nests with leaves as base.

Photos taken: 1,2 Herdsman Lake 

Black-winged Stilt

There are only four Stilts in the world and Australia has two of them, the Black-winged and the Banded. Stilts are the longest legged waders of all, with extremely long fine bills.

The Black-winged Stilt delicately prods on the surface of the water for aquatic invertebrates that swim on the surface. If they don't surface feed, they will select muddy areas where they can pick off small invertebrates and worms.

Black-winged Stilt will nest as a solitary pair on a small wetland, or more often just a small colony 5-10 birds.

Photos taken 1,2: Herdsman Lake

Yellow-billed Spoonbill

There are six species of Spoonbill in the world, Australia having two of them, the Royal and the Yellow-billed.

Spoonbills are related to the Ibis but through evolution, have developed a flattened bill with a spatulate end and become what is known as a ''tactile'' feeder rather then developing a probing method of feeding like the Ibis by moving their open bill sideways back and forth through the water.

Nests in tree making a flat stick nest lined with some small leaves.

Photos taken: 1,2 Herdsmann Lake

Eastern Great Egret

Tallest of all the Egrets with very long shaped neck with at full stretch is longer then the body lenght, a useful diagnostic feature.

Feeds on inland wetlands, moist grasslands and coastal mudflats and nests mostly with other egrets and herons in small loose colonies. Flat twig nest placed in a tree mostly over water.

Photos taken: 1,2 Herdsmann Lake