Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 28
  1. #1
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008

    Show me your bird

    It’s been a beautiful spring in the Longprong garden and the birds have been propagating. I thought you might be interested in two of my favourite birds and perhaps seeing I’ve shown you mine, you might show me yours.
    This fella is the male Common Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea). He is sometimes called the Cooee or Rain Bird. He is a large cuckoo The female lays her eggs in another bird’s nest, and lets them raise the kiddie, which is a great arrangement and allows them to get on with life, eating and having fun. They are a migrant to eastern Australia from PNG/Indonesia where they usually winter. They have a distinctive call which heralds the wet part of spring and the approaching spin-off from the northern monsoon which reaches down to the southern part of NSW in summer. When I hear their first call in Spring I plant my tomatoes.
    He has a blood red eye and looks a bit evil. He loves my strawberries and tomatoes, but I don’t really mind so much, as he has to earn his living too. I just pick them a bit before completely ripe, as he is very fussy on ripeness.

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    This is the female Koel. I took this last summer when the Guavas were just ripening. I think this bird either got a bit drunk on the fermenting fruit or was carrying a very heavy payload as it had a lot of trouble getting up into a tree and sat there for a very long time.

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    There are plenty of females about this spring but they are more elusive than the male and I had trouble getting a good shot, so this the same pissed bird from last year in the tree. They have excellent camouflage, and I suppose they have adapted, so as to get close to other birds nests undetected.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    I took this shot of a fledgling Koel, well camouflaged in this tree. It was calling for food and I saw a couple of Little Wattlebirds flying back and forth with food. They were buggered by the look of them. The baby was already bigger than its surrogate parents and was very advanced to be still calling for food. I think this is in the design, and they will almost kill their host with demands for food.

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    This is the classic Australian bird, the Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). He is quite common along the east coast of Australia and is regarded as an icon. They are a member of the Kingfisher family.
    These birds have quite an interesting social structure. A pair may mate for life with uncles, aunts, cousins and birds from previous seasonal mating helping out with care and protection of the young. They will lay claim to an area as their territory and will let everyone know they are in residence with their famous laugh. All birds will join in to let interlopers know that this is their “hood”.
    This bird has caught a nice frog for his/her baby.

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    I stood here for 10 minutes waiting for it to approach the baby with the frog, but wouldn’t. I was being eaten by bloody mosquitoes and retreated to kill a few off. When I looked around she had fed the baby and was off looking for more. I suppose this separation is to keep the baby from appearing too vulnerable to predators. I note also that the young bird is fledged with very similar markings to an adult bird, whilst having a pretty good non contrasting camouflage.

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    This is the young bird. Cute enough eh?

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008

  10. #10
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    Whilst Mum was away hunting, this bird came in to sit with the little fella. He looks like a juvenile. Maybe a cousin or sibling.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    I hope you enjoyed my two favourites land birds of the feathered variety..

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat
    panama hat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Last Online
    21-10-2023 @ 08:08 AM
    Location
    Way, Way South of the border now - thank God!
    Posts
    32,680
    Excellent photos . . . I was expecting pics of budgies and the like so this was a nice surprise.

    Used to have this couple of Kookaburras living just outside our place in Sydney . . . bloody annoying things they are . . . loud, obnoxious but a good looking bird.

    We have a week-ender on the coast south of Sydney and loads of black cockatoos around the trees.

    Do you have any cockies or galahs?

  14. #14
    Member
    big_cloud's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Last Online
    01-03-2012 @ 08:45 PM
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    57
    THX, for that nice pics

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat
    Do you have any cockies or galahs?
    Thanks PH,
    Yes we get the lot here. The Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Bloody Galah, Little Corella, Rainbow Lorrikeet, Eastern Rosella, King Parrot, Crimson Rosella. We are not that far off the Great Dividing Range and not at all built out yet.
    Where is your joint on the SC?

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat
    JoGeAr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Last Online
    14-10-2016 @ 10:13 PM
    Location
    Chonburi/Brisbane
    Posts
    1,879
    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Longprong
    Thanks PH, Yes we get the lot here. The Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Bloody Galah, Little Corella, Rainbow Lorrikeet, Eastern Rosella, King Parrot, Crimson Rosella. We are not that far off the Great Dividing Range and not at all built out yet. Where is your joint on the SC?
    I'm in the western suburbs of Brissie and we get pretty much the same Johnny with most being sulphur-crested cockies, rainbow lorrikeets and galahs and a smattering of the others except for the Little Corella. Can't recall having seen one around here. I've only seen a few black cockies but I think they were red-tailed.

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    38,456
    The two things I miss about living in the Adelaide Hills are the brilliant birdlife, and the wine.

  18. #18
    On a walkabout Loy Toy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    30,531
    My sister lives in Kenthurst, Sydney and during my recent trip down there I stayed with her. She has about 10 acres and the land is well forested.

    Well I could not believe the wildlife and particularly the number of birds and covering different species.

    Cockatoos, Rosellas which are magnificent beautifully coloured birds, Kookaburras and there must of been 50 of the noisy bastards amongst other birds I didn't recognize.

    Rabbits and they even see the odd wallaby and all this 30 minutes drive from the centre of Sydney City.

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat
    panama hat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Last Online
    21-10-2023 @ 08:08 AM
    Location
    Way, Way South of the border now - thank God!
    Posts
    32,680
    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Longprong
    Where is your joint on the SC?
    Jervis Bay, really a beautiful spot . . .

  20. #20
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    Quote Originally Posted by JoGeAr
    except for the Little Corella. Can't recall having seen one around here. I've only seen a few black cockies but I think they were red-tailed.
    Yes, it is very unusual that they come east of the divide. We get a group of about 200 through here every year when the pine cones are ripe. They must do the rounds of the food sources. They are very noisy but great to watch as they dangle upside down and clown around. We don't get the Red Tailed Cockatoo this far south but we do get the Glossy Black cockatoo, which has a red tail too, in the ranges to the west of us. You would probably see him there too.


    Quote Originally Posted by sabang
    The two things I miss about living in the Adelaide Hills are the brilliant birdlife, and the wine.
    I don't miss the wine, hic!



    Quote Originally Posted by Loy Toy
    I could not believe the wildlife and particularly the number of birds and covering different species.
    Quote Originally Posted by Loy Toy
    I could not believe the wildlife and particularly the number of birds and covering different species. Cockatoos, Rosellas which are magnificent beautifully coloured birds, Kookaburras and there must of been 50 of the noisy bastards amongst other birds I didn't recognize. Rabbits and they even see the odd wallaby and all this 30 minutes drive from the centre of Sydney City.
    We are well away from the city and the wildlife is pretty prolific. However there are constant pressures to develop more land and accordingly there is habitat destruction. We are down to about 20 Koalas here now and that is a concern.
    Glad you liked the birds.

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat
    Jervis Bay, really a beautiful spot . . .
    Beautiful alright. I used to spend a bit of time at Currarong, Busom beach and Target beach which was on the Beecroft navy bombing range. That area has been well preserved and the joint teems with wildlife. In those days though the only bird I was interested in seeing was the Large Tit.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat
    panama hat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Last Online
    21-10-2023 @ 08:08 AM
    Location
    Way, Way South of the border now - thank God!
    Posts
    32,680
    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Longprong
    In those days though the only bird I was interested in seeing was the Large Tit.
    Nowadays it is more the 'sagging tit' with all the Canberra and Sydney pensioners moving there

  23. #23
    Member
    Pnow's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Last Online
    27-12-2010 @ 11:09 AM
    Posts
    174


    My Old mate! Named him Cody, great bird until he flew out the windows from the 10th floor.

  24. #24
    RIP
    klongmaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Nonthaburi
    Posts
    4,382
    Great pics JLP...thanks for sharing them with us...

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat
    Johnny Longprong's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Last Online
    11-07-2020 @ 01:48 PM
    Posts
    1,008
    Quote Originally Posted by Pnow
    My Old mate! Named him Cody, great bird until he flew out the windows from the 10th floor.
    Too bad Pnow. The African Grey is a great talker. We had one at home when I was a kid. He had spent most of his life in the bar of a country pub and could swear like a trooper. He was a one person bird as is common and would bite everyone except my grandfather, and could he bite. They were a very rare bird in Australia at that time and had probably been smuggled in as then there was no active exotic bird breeders in Australia. He lived until about 40, so they are really a life commitment if you take one on. I'm not a big fan of birds in captivity nowadays and prefer to see them out and about doing their thing. Although I reckon some caged wildlife is probably necessary to help people understand about them and to provide an opportunity for them to get close. Thanks for showing us the late Cody. Well maybe not late, he might have talked himself into a job selling used cars in Bangkok.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •