Backyard Birdsite

Spoiled by Kooks

I've had three visits to Westerfolds Park in Templestowe this week: two today with the kids, and one earlier in the week at lunchtime.

On each occasion I've seen some Kookaburras.

The first time I was actually a bit confused. I heard a weird, sort of strained bird call I was unfamiliar with. Almost hawkish. I whipped out the Merlin app and listened to a few raptors that might make a showing occasionally at the park, but none of them sounded like this.

I followed my ears until I saw a Kookaburra making the noise.

Now, I'm sure anyone that has heard the 'Laughing' sound Kookaburras are famous for would recognise that in an instant. But this sound was different - more strained, quieter, less repetitive. The traditional laugh sort of builds to a crescendo, whereas this was really something quiet different.

I listened to a bunch of recordings later, and every Kookaburra recording gets some version of the laugh. I'm not sure if this is a strange anomaly for the Westerfold Kooks, but I have now seen two individuals making the sound separately. Very curious.

This morning I took the kids, and along with many other birds, I found two Kookaburras again, incidentally by following the strained noise back to the same spot as earlier in the week. Then later in the day my son and I went back to a different spot in Westerfolds Park and spotted four Kookaburras simultaneously. I'd only seen them in ones and twos before, so four in one go felt like a treat. They were making a really raucous fuss about it too, which my son loved!

Anyway, the moral of the story, is that there are loads of Kookaburras at Westerfolds Park, especially this time of year (mid-February and they are pretty active even in the heat of the day).