My Burra Family

Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Cedrick – The Nasty Lorikeet.

Cedrick has been a regular at the Tapas Bar (that’s what I call my bird feeding table) for years now.

And he’s a real character. I love him. He and his mate Daphne, visit daily for months at a time. Although both birds look almost identical, it’s just so easy to identify Cedrick.

He’s the one picking the fight.

Doesn’t care who. Doesn’t care how big. Doesn’t care why. Just doesn’t care.

If any visit to the Tapas Bar while he is In Situ, well, they’re in for it.

He brings such excitement, and some great photo opportunities, every time he's around.

Here are just a few;

This is the classic Lorikeet Block-Head ram.

He has perfected a few fighting strategies, depending on the foe, and his mood at that moment.

The one I find the most amusing is the ‘Block Head’ attack. He uses this method mainly on the Kookaburras.

There are 2 advantages for this type of attack.

The first and most obvious is his use of his ‘Block Head’ as a battering ram. He lowers it, and charges in. Woe betides anyone in the way.

There are a couple of ways to apply the Block-Head ram.
Lower the head and charge like a bull.

If you don't have enough room for a run up,
then there is the Launch method.

Charge method.

Launch Method.

Just Don't get in my Face Method.

It’s his second use I just love the most. I swear, when he’s just about to be bitten, he goes in head first. I think the strategy is to gag the Kookaburra with his big block head, and while gaging, giving Cedrick time to get a hold of the Kookas Beak with his claws. Even though you would bet he’s about to cop a flogging, he wins Every……Single…..Time.

Over the lips and past the gums, look out Kooka here I come.

It's hard to breathe with a Lorrie Head jammed in your throat.

Give up yet Kooka?
I have you just where I want you.

This is Cedrick's 'Choke Hold'
He's just got to be able to hold his breathe longer than Buster.

Well, maybe not every single time. Occasionally the Kookas say Enough is Enough. There comes a time when a lesson must be taught.

The Teacher & the Student.

What Lorikeet?
That will teach him.

If that doesn’t work, then the normally passive & understanding Kooka, might give a gentle warning;

Hi. I'm a passive & understanding Kookaburra.
You're getting under my skin. Take this as a gentle warning.

You're still getting under my skin.
Now it's time for me to get under yours.

Well Cedrick, you can go all "Ninja" on me,
but while you're going to try to kick the shit out of me,
I'm going to go all 'Feral' on you, and bite the fuck out of you.

Usually when it gets to this stage, Cedrick concedes and quietens down.

But rarely, and I mean rarely, does Cedrick get under the skin of one of my Kooka and they come in with a case of the dead-set shits.

Sometimes Cedrick needs to be put in his place. This is such an occasion;

There was unusual harmony at the Tapas Bar on this lovely Autumn morning.
Everyone was playing well together. The Kookas had their meat and the Lorries the grapes.
Everyone was happy. When out of nowhere, Cedrick leans over and bites Buster on the back.

Buster flew off for a minute, then charged back with a major case of the shits.
I have never seen anything like this before from my Kookas.

It was like watching the Wide World of Wrestling.
Commentator: “Look at this ladies & gentlemen,
Buster the Bruiser has picked up Cedrick the Nasty in a sleeper Head-Hold”

Commentator: “Look he’s giving Cedrick the Nasty a full body-slam.
Now you know why they call it the ‘Sleeper Head Hold’
Goodnight Cedrick.”

Out of all the birds I hand feed, Cedrick is the only one that worries me. That beak is a weapon & he knows how to use it. When a Kookaburra or Magpie nip you, it’s an accident, and they realise it and let go.

What do they say about biting the hand that feeds you?

While Cedrick’s ‘Block Head’ attack is effective, nothing beats the full on full frontal, ‘Fuck You’ attack.

Hey Buster. Fuck you.

Hey Boof, Fuck you too.

No one is immune from Cedrick's 'Fuck you' attack.
Button is getting his.

Not even Beaky, This years bub. He's only a few months old.
Too young to know better.
But, Cedrick believes, train em when they're young.

Now, I can understand how you might be thinking Cedrick’s animosity is aimed only at the Kookas, as they've been the photos so far. But you'd be wrong. He is truly multi-cultural.

He hates everyone.

Brad the male Satin Bowerbird is about to get his 'Hurry up & Move on' order.

Hey Cedrick. I’m one of you. What? Are you going to bite me?

Yep. That's exactly what I'm going to do.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight.
But the size of the fight in the dog.

The Judge, my local Crested Pigeon was just walking past.
And copped Cedrick's Wrath

Ketut, the Spotted Dove, is such a lovely bird.
He just slowly ambles around the backyard, without a care in the world making his cooing call.
That is until he visited the Tapas Bar at the wrong time.
Haha, did I say he was slow moving.

This was a big surprise.
Talk about Samson and Goliath.

This is a visitor’s welcome.
Storm has just flown down from New Guinea. He caught the red-eye.

And is about to get a Cedrick welcome.

Thunder, Storms mate, get's the same Welcome.

Screaming...................

Will.....Not....Help.

As for the relationship between Cedrick & Squirt the Wattlebird, at best,
it could called fractious.

Squirt the Red Wattlebird has come up with a High Adrenaline Game - Tag Cedrick.

Here's the vid.

https://youtu.be/xoqwamocVdw

By now, you will be getting a pretty fair idea of Cedrick’s personality.

There is side of him that blew me away when I saw it.

Kindness. Yeah, you read right. Kindness.

I was gob-smacked when I saw this.

Not once, but twice (that I saw), he took pity on a hapless Duck, and started feeding it.

He would chew up a grape, walk to the edge of the Tapas Bar, and hang it over the side for the Duck waiting below, to grab from his beak.

Here are the link to both videos. It has to be seen to be believed.

https://youtu.be/u8P6xUpKIy4

https://youtu.be/AX6YgHynfVg

Please Sir?
Can I have some more?

Please Sir,
I’d be happy with the chewed-up hulk of a grape skin.

OH Sir. Thank you Sir
Never has I seen such generosity.

So far, we’ve seen Cedrick’s normal side, his compassionate side.

Now for his funny side, at least funny to us.

Boof glances in the direction of Daphne. There’s no agro – Cedrick’s not around.
Well, that’s not quite right. Cedrick was high up in a tree looking at what transpired.
Thinking his damsel was in distress, he swoop’s in to to the rescue.
Adrenaline pumping, he flies in way to fast.
Committed, he had no choice – none at all.
But to do, one Grade-A faceplant.
What did Boof do????? What Kookaburras do.

Sergeant Major Cedrick inspecting his troops.
“I said a STRING LINE! A STRING LINE!
WHAT IN GODS NAME ARE YOU DOING NUMBER TWO?”

God help us if he ever gets drunk.

Thanks to all that follow my blog, and in this Covid world, I hope you all are well.

Covid is a Bully. And like all Bully’s, we need to stare them down. And like all Bully’s, it won’t prevail.

Sunday, 9 August 2020

The Story of the Tapas Bar

Back in 2011 I was friended by a Kookaburra I named Boss. That friendship has continued year after year, until his & Bashful's disappearance a few years ago.

Boss

If it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t have the level of interest in birds as I do today.

I’ve experienced many fantastic moments of interaction amongst my family of Kookaburras and
I thought, if only I could get this on camera? And that was the catalyst for my first GoPro in 2015. I named him Headley.

The versatility of that camera meant I could do a lot more than wear it on my head when I feed my Kookas, if I had a bird feeding station, I could mount it right next to it & operate it remotely from the comfort of my Veranda 10 meters away.

With that thought in mind, the Tapas Bar was created. One of my better ideas.

While practical I always thought it was a bit sterile, so when I could get flowers from my garden I would decorate to give it a more natural look.

When enough is enough.

Not only did it add some texture to the photo, as it turned out, gave the Kookas something to play with.

A flower me Lady

I put a Monstera fruit out for the Bowerbirds, but the Kookaburras used it as a toy. This might be the only video of a Log-Rolling Kookaburra. Watch till the end for a great finish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6GpbT2ptO0

Earlier this year I had the thought of replacing the Tapas with a new top. A tree round. So I asked around and a mate had a mate that lopped trees. Problem solved, however it was a bit too big and the birds were standing just a little too far from my camera.

Turning a Pigs Ear

So I asked Colin, my sisters partner, if he was able to cut it back a bit (he's got every tool under the sun). Job done, all it needed now was oiling.

Hard to believe it was the same piece of wood.

Into a Silk Purse

I hoped for some good photos, but never expected the results I would get with the Tapas Bar & Headley's camera work.

Balls of Juiciness

A Glass of Water

Not only did I get to photo birds I only see at a distance, it attracted birds I had no idea where around.

Like my Satin Bowerbird family I've named after Brad & Angelina

Brad

Angelina

Knox is their oldest son.
He's about 7 years old & just starting the transition to a Black bird.
The beak is the first to change from black to cream.

Shiloh

The Green Catbird I named Kit was a real surprise. I'd never heard of them before.

Kit the Catbird

These cats have claws

The visitors that travel the furthest are a pair of Koels. These guys fly down from New Guinea every Oct/Nov and stay until April. I really like these guys. Not only are they pretty, but they're a Cuckoo (they lay their eggs in another birds nest for them to raise). I find them fascinating & I've done posts on them before. If you missed them, here's the links

http://bradsburras.blogspot.com/2016/02/its-summer-storm-birds-are-here.html

http://bradsburras.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-storm-birds-are-back.html

Kym the dad

Kath the mum

Storm the bub

Red the Foster parent feeding Storm

Storm's first feed by himself

The success of the Tapas Bar, led me to put in a birdbath I called the Tranquility Pool.

The birdbath was a solar panel water feature. The birds didn’t quite go for it and it was a bit of a White Elephant. They did visit it, but only occasionally, and usually not the result is was looking for.

One day I took the center piece out and all of a sudden the birds loved it. They were wanting something deeper they could dive into.

Wallace (Wally to his friends)
A Little Wattlebird

Red the Red Wattlebird & Angelina sorting out Tapas Bar protocols

A few years later my sister made a mistake by storing some pots under my house. I commandeered one to create the Wrens Splash Pool. It was deep and suited my goal to breed frogs, yet give the smaller birds somewhere to drink & swim.

The Wrens Splash Pool

3 years on

Wallace (Wally to his friends) doing what the Splash Pool was put in to do.

Success. This is a Lewins Honeyeater.
I've only seen them hanging around the tree tops
I'd never seen one up close.

Here's Storm all grown up.

It was a smash with the birds, but not so much on the frog front. A couple of years ago I released about 200 Striped Marsh Frog tadpoles (these guys take 9 months to mature to frogs and slowly but surely they all disappeared), late last year I released 6 Dwarf Green Tree Frogs (I won't know if they survived until spring when they should start to call), and recently 50 Perons Tree Frog tadpoles (these guys mature quickly - 3 months or so).

Here's their video

https://youtu.be/nqp8WDXPlc4

I'm down to 1/2 a dozen now. I've no idea where they're going. They may be eating each other so I've introduced blood worms to their diet.

Striped Marsh Frog tadpoles

Here's me releasing the Dwarf Eastern Green Tree frogs that the guy that mow's my lawn gave me (Thanks Stu).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtOntz1DoOI

One of the Dwarf Eastern Green Tree Frogs.

Perrons Tree Frog tadpoles

Back to the Tapas Bar.

Not only did it introduce a stack of birds to me, I get to see their interactions.

How they respond to each other, who's who in the pecking order and how that changes depending on the season, and in all this education some terrific photos.

With no time to fly off, and not wanting to relinquish his spot,
What option did Cedrick have....

But to lie low
And hope Button misses

This photo is a tad embarrassing for Cedrick
He's supposed to be the tough guy at the Tapas Bar.

Cedrick isn't particular to who cops his wrath.

Especially Kookaburras

They're just SOO easy

Until they start to bite back

Believe it or not, Cedrick won this fight.
His tactic is to gag the opponent with his head,
and when he stops to take a breath,
kick him in the balls and fly off.

Young Buster is finding out Ibis are not only ugly,
but they bite.

I get to see a lot of different interactions between the birds that visit the Tapas Bar that continually surprise me, but nothing more than this. I was on the veranda watching what was happening at the Tapas Bar when I noticed Cedrick walk over the edge & drop a piece of grape down to a duck below.

He then went back, chewed on another grape, walked to the edge and dropped it off to the duck.

I couldn’t believe my eyes as he did over and over. And all in front of the camera.

Here’s the video

https://youtu.be/AX6YgHynfVg