Saturday 21 May 2016

How to wash your Kookaburra



Boof (this year’s bub) is a real water baby. He just loves it.
I have a spray bottle on my veranda table that gets used equally between Devil (my kitten) & Boof.
Boof shows no fear of Devil which at times does my head in. He allows Devil to get close & some times turns his back on him. That’s when I can take no more and spray the cat.  I’m sure I’d lose Devil over the side, and I’m thinking that’s what’s going thru his mind as well, as there seems to be no real intent.

My cat is sad.
Boof just doesn't understands.
All Devil wants to be is his friend.
Anyway, I was spraying Boof the other arvo and I noticed the sunlight hitting the back fence. I had about 10 minutes light left and I thought I might get some good shots of Boof sitting on the back fence getting hosed. All I needed was for him to play the game.


How wet is wet?

This is pretty bloody wet.

I grabbed Headley & some meat, and set up both on the back fence. The first piece of meat he swooped down from the veranda, grabbed the meat & flew off. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

My second attempt & Boof got the message. This time he landed on the fence and hopped over to grab his prize. Then stay. The perfect distance for Headley & he turned and looked at me as I walked over to get the hose. The plan was to narrow the spray & aim up in the air so it came down on Boof like rain. Lit up golden by the setting sun. The golden thing didn’t happen, but I was pretty pleased with the results. There is a video of this at the end of this blog.
The look of pure excitment

This brings back memories.
At the end of a hot summer day, dad would go out to hose the lawn.
Us kids on his heels.

Just shake it off Boof

My Monstera fruit are now ripening and it was only a matter of time before Brad the male Satin Bowerbird turned up. The Tapas Bar has been laid with him in mind. Including a couple of blue things for him as a treat. But he needs to earn them. I make it a little difficult for him. The tops are placed either top up, so he has to turn them upside down to grab. Not all that easy, when your beak is smaller than the top or I bury one end on a Banana. The rings (always cut) are placed around things.
I was amazed the other day when Brad decided he wanted both the top & the ring. First he played with the top until he'd turned it up side down. He then grabbed a ring.  Then sized up the top to see if the ring would go around. I was gob smacked.
This a great example of problem solving.
He wants both objects, but how?

Step 1: turn over top.
Step 2: Grab ring.
Step 3" Measure ring.

Success.
This problem only had one solution.
If he picked up the top first, he wouldn't be able to grab the ring.
There have been a few accidents of late, and all in front of Headley. Normally we see birds as graceful objects that seem to miraculously mirror each other’s movements in flight. And then we have Kookaburras.

Coming in for a perfect landing, there was only one problem.
Bitey was in the way.
He wont mind.

I think he might have minded.
Pretty sure this is a sight he never wants to see again.
I would have thought this anatomically impossible.

This has got to hurt

Payback's a bitch.

Having both lost focus,
and some private parts,
could there be any other outcome?

Laying the Tapas Bar for Brad has ruffled a few feathers. Cyclone Bitey flies in. He knows he’s not going to like anything here, but buggered if he’ll let Brad get it.
So, Chef has served up quite a Tapas to lure Brad the Bowerbird in.
A potato stack ringed with grapes
sprinkled with saffron crumbs & a garnish of wild flowers.
Oh, and what's that on top. The best grape of the bunch.



Well, he's not getting these.

What a lovely potato stack.
Brad will be impressed with this.
Bwahahaha, not when I'm finished.

YUUUUCCKK.
note from author "Bloody food critic. Damn you Masterchef"

I don’t think Devil appreciates his sacrifice as much as me. He bought in a cockroach which was rescued for a better destiny. Thanks Devil.


One cockroach.
One unusual photo.
Fair trade.
The rest of my photos are just a little unusual.

The first time you look at this photo you see two birds, and maybe think yeah, a bit unusual.
Now look a second time. Think one bird and imagine the eyes are one set.
I see a pitiful Owl. I’m naming it a Saratoga Racoon Owl.

Just unusual

A painters pallet.

Left..
LEFT......
NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!!
'Doesn't make sense? Google it.
The last couple of photo’s I’ll devote to feet. A much underrated part of the body.
We have fingerprints (the grooves on our fingers) to stop things slipping thru, check out a birds feet.
Fingerprints plus claws. These suckers are going nowhere when they land.



Well that's it for this blog. I hope you enjoyed it.
See you all soon.


























Sunday 1 May 2016

An ANZAC Tribute

The Lone Sentinel.
Lest We Forget
The Tapas Bar has been very quiet of late.

I have seen no Bowerbirds or Catbirds. My Monstera fruit haven’t opened yet, so I suspect I will see them soon. This time last year they had started to open, but we’ve had some warmer than usual weather for last 2 months, and maybe that has slowed down the ripening. But it won’t be long.
Red Wattlebirds.
They do add some colour.
The Lorries & Wattlebirds have boycotted the Tapas Bar. I’m mystified by this. The birds are here & obviously like the food. The Noisy Miners give the Wattlebirds a hard time lately, their numbers have bumped from 3 or 4 to 10 or more. A few of these are young birds. Dominance of the Tapas Bar may be dependant of who has kids at the time. Red & Little John the Wattlebirds, were giving it to the Miner birds only a few months ago, when they had a bub. It might an outbreak in bugs like aphids that has changed their diet. Who knows?

So my post is all Kookaburras & Miner Birds. And bird of paradise flowers.
I started this blog thinking I didn’t have much to work with. Then I started adding photos. Before you know it I have 30 odd photos. Enjoy.

Triffids are an interesting flower. They devour meat.
Stories of Triffids have been whispered for generations. Here is a rare photo.
A Saratoga Triffid about to eat Boof. I will miss him so.

Bugger. Who put that plant there.
This is going to look ugly.
Red Bull gives fruit wings
One drop did this

Two drops did this.
I'd show you what three drops do...
But it flew off

Double Trouble.
"Brother, what do you feel like getting into?"
"Well, I'm thinking I might take the head off that flower. What about you?"
"Yeah, thinking along the same lines. But I've got my eye on Headley"
No more photos as Headley (my camera) started to shake uncontrollably.


I was treated to an interesting arvo the other day. I had three of the family, and all left me with a different experience.
Pain, Comfort and Beauty.
Bully came in with a bad case of the cranks. She’s been like this for a few weeks now. While there’s been a lot of jousting between them, this is different thou. She bites. She’s always done this. That’s why she was named & it does seem to be more seasonal I think. She was a handful this time last year.
Today, she got a hold of my finger so hard, I had to pry her beak open.
She was then shooed off for behaving like a prat.
Bitey having watched all that was the next up.
He was the exact opposite. He saw my pain & it was as if he was stroking my face to comfort me. Now, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s my photo & I’m telling the story. Anyway, it was a first for me & quite an experience.
An  indescribable sensation

Surreal
The beauty was when it seemed Bitey gave me a curtsey. Again, my bloody story.


May I assuage your pain
with this beautiful curtsey.
Devil, my kitten bought me in a lovely cockroach he'd subdued. Devil then needed to be subdued, to release his catch, which was destined for a Kookaburra.

Bwaa, Bwaaaaa, Bwaaaaaaa.

I spy with my little eye....

Something beginning with.....
Dinner.
Here are a few snaps of my Noisy Miners. Aside from their objectionable personalities, they are quite a handsome bird.

A Grey bird on a grey day

"STICK EM UP!"

"Give me a break Mal, I nearly shat myself"


"Where are you going Mal?"
"TRIFFIDS. Fly for your life"

"Junior, don't listen to your father.
There ARE no such things as bird eating flowers called Triifids."

For ANZAC Day I wanted to see if could get some photos with my Kookas interacting with our Flag, with the hope of some photos that to me represented the feeling of ANZAC Day. I needed the birds to play and that they did. They gave me some great photos. A few I've sent to the RSL for them to use if they wish.


The Lone Sentinel.

Shadows left behind.

Nobody gets past.
Not on my watch.

Standing Proud

The KOOKABURRA MARCH
On Wednesday 12 January 1916 a group of 25 volunteers left the Mountain View Hotel in Tooraweenah. Calling themselves the Kookaburras the marchers spent their first night in the woolshed at Yarragrin where they were joined by some of the Binnaway and Coonabarabran men. They marched through Mendooran, Boomley Railway Construction Camp, Cobbora, Dunedoo, Craboon, Birriwa, Tallawang, Gulgong, Mudgee, Havilah, Lue, Rylstone, Kandos, Ilford, Capertee, Cullen Bullen, Portland, Sunny Corner, Yetholme and Bathurst. By the time the Kookaburras reached Bathurst the group included 100 volunteers.

Our Spirit is always with us.


As is customary, it was back to the Tapas Bar after the Dawn Service for a few to warm up the spirits.
Chef, caught up in the moment yelled "FREE TEQUILLA SQIRTS FOR ALL DIGGERS"
That idea nearly sent me broke. They appeared from everywhere & drank like fish.

Free Grog

Yes SIR

"Well little buddy, what do you think?"
"Yeah, this is a good way to sign off.
See you all next time"