My Burra Family: wet kookaburra

This story starts with Boss. Boss is the patriarch of the family. He befriended me 8 years ago and since then, has introduced me to all of his off spring. Boss & I had a special relationship that surpassed what I have with all the others. I truly believe he enjoyed my company. I say “enjoyed” as I fear he & his mate Bashful have perished. I haven’t seen them for 18 months now. And with them gone, no mating pair. That means no offspring for the last 2 seasons.

Boss and I

Sad as that may be, I believe Boss has left behind his spirit.
In Boof.
Right from the get go she accepted me. Before we were even ‘introduced’ by Boss, she let me approach her while sitting on the back fence. Luckily I recorded both moments.

https://youtu.be/fKYRTAYfzy0

https://youtu.be/Za1-E0iVJ_4
Another similarity to Boss is her willingness to try new foods.

Is camera a food?

Most weekends I set the Tapas Bar with an assortment of fruits, rice & vegies for the various birds that visit my place. Mostly, I serve up stuff that shouldn’t interest a Kookaburra at all. Yet they are the first ones to check out the fare every single time.

What's this first in - best dressed bullshit.

She couldn't even wait for me to finish

Now sometimes they play with it. Other times they eat it. Like Boss, Boof tries everything. I think they use the Tapas Bar like a vitamin bar. Sampling more & more adds to the bank of knowledge.

This is play btw.

This isn't.
A little prezzie from my cats - reluctantly

Being a bird of prey, they get all sorts of vegetable matter from the gut of their prey. Their prey would also vary depending on the season, so I’m guessing they use fruit as either a supplement or a remedy.

Sampling a variety of things I think puts her in good stead for the future.

Mango

Grape

Banana

Another commonality they share, is their love for water.

This is Boss looking like Gandalf.

He has sat thru 2 full squirt bottles of water.

Even waiting when I went off to re-fill it.

Of the 7 in the family, Boss & Boof absolutely love it, to the point of getting so wet they almost fall like a stone when they take off. Bitey, Button & Brave Baby also love it but with a lot more moderation. Bashful & Bully hate it.

This is only 5 weeks after Boss lead him to my back fence as a fledgling.

A Real water baby.
I'm hosing him late on a summers arvo

What kid doesn't like playing under the hose in summer

The possessed water baby

An Angelic water baby

A cat about to become a water baby

Did I? Or Didn't I?

Here’s Boofs first hosing

https://youtu.be/OB9GkwpmyKg

But the true similarity is our bond. Here’s another bird, like her dad, that just likes my company.

Hanging on my every word

Just Chillin

My Whirling Dervish

See you all soon (hopefully sooner than my last post)

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.