Laughing Kookaburra........................

Every morning when I went downstairs and peered out the kitchen window I saw this kookaburra happily searching for breakfast, a member of the kingfisher family the kookaburra eat a variety of insects, worms and crustaceans, although small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds may be eaten too, yum! Small prey is eaten whole, but larger prey is killed by bashing it against the ground or tree branch ( I personally can think of better ways to go!) Kookaburras often become quite tame around humans too and will readily accept scraps of meat. This 'fast food' is still beaten against a perch before swallowing, just making certain that it is dead! The chuckling laugh that gives the kookaburra its name is loud, 'koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-kaa-kaa-kaa' is often sung in a chorus with other family members. I love to hear them laugh, usually one will start and before you know it there is a choir of laughter ringing through the trees, it really is a jolly and infectious sound, I know I always end up smiling from ear to ear when I hear them giggling away. Having caught a tasty morsel for breakfast he was staying put. If you look closely you will see the hind leg of a cricket sticking out of his mouth, bless its little heart.... After spending a moment wandering around trying to look as if I wasn't bothered if he flew back for more breakfast, crossing my fingers for a few more shots, but within a second or two he was off, perhaps for a more private dining arrangement. So I did what any other girl does first thing in the morning, headed for the kettle to make my morning cuppa then settled myself down here to embrace the serenity of my bushland surroundings....................