I am new to this forum and hoping someone can shed some light on this mystery that has ruined my new year! About 18 to 24 months ago a young Kookaburra arrived on our small farm. It used to peck on the windows in the morning! I befriended it and it stayed for another year by itself. The following year it was joined by another one and they both stayed happily in the garden all 2010. To my absolute delight they nested in a hollow in a large gum tree and reared two gorgeous young. I watched the young settle into our garden for the past month & have been observing the most wonderful sight of mum & dad feeding their noisy babies while loudly announcing their territory to all around. Then alas 4 days ago the whole family disapeared! They used to always come when I called them but not a sight and silence morning and night! I can't even hear them in the distance. All the books say once they establish their territory they stay. Hope some one can offer an explanation or some hope!
Do your neighbours bait foxes?
:-(
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
They might have a very large range and moved to a different area. This year the weather is so unusual that the behaviour of birds is a bit different. There is a lot more food around than usual so your birds might have found another food source.
Birds actually prefer to feed without humans around but have learnt that people are a good reliable food source.
Hi Beky, I hope soakes is wrong, and they have just moved down the road!? We had many Kookas for years, last year none. But this year they are back in larger numbers,had babies and are still hanging raround.Be patient,they might come back!
M-L
Thanks everyone,none of our neighbours bait foxes I don't think. Hopefully they will come back!
Well this post has a happy ending because this morning at first light I was woken to the sound of hungry Kookaburra babies. Yes my little family arrived back and were happily feeding and noisely announcing their return. Music to my ears! I still have no idea where they went for over a week but maybe they returned to their larger territory to show of their babies!
Hoorah! :-)
I love kookaburras. We have had quite a few around our place this year too.
(By the way, I did some reading about fox baiting, since we have neighbours that do it. If done properly (and legally) it is not dangerous to kookaburras and such birds. The sad thing is that some farmers are gung-ho and have no idea how to do it responsibly.)
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Morning soakes,the emphasis here is on "properly and legally"! I don't trust anyone there!! I have heard stupid explanations given like:- if it was poisonous, the government wouldn't allow us to use it!- How come,we are still using chemicals that are banned in the rest of the world? An other argument someone gave me, when mentioning dangerous fumes in his factory, was: I pay my workers more, they should know why!! Doesn't make one feel to confident, does it?
M-L