I seem to be having a bit of a bird theme going at the moment so over the last couple of days I have been taking photos of birds in our garden and I will post them over the next week.
First we have Onewing and Squawk our regular kookaburra visitors. They have been visiting us for quite a few years now and I think they first turned up when they were a newly married couple looking for meat to feed their offspring. Kookaburras mate for life and can live for up to 20 years.
Onewing is on the left and got her name for obvious reasons because her right wing is slightly droopy. I think she must have been injured as a youngster and her wing has been like this as long as we have known her. If you look at her left foot you will see that the inside claw that should turn backwards to grip a branch etc is facing forwards too. She does seem to be in rather a state but these injuries haven't affected her flying or standing on our garden chairs.
Squawk on the right is her mate and he got his name because the first time he visited, along with Onewing, Squawk was the first thing he said to me. Every time he visits I say 'Hello' and he says 'squawk' in return it is as if he is saying Hello back to me. Onewing just does a bit of a bow and curtsey, clicks her beak and flies round in a circle before landing on the garden chair. I guess that has become her regular greeting too.
They are both such characters and keep us entertained. We feed them with raw mince and over the years we have fed various of their offspring too.
They've become a part of your family - you know them so well. They must give you lots of joy - and it's nice to hear that Onewing has survived to meet a mate and rear young. You've caught them so well in this photo. :)
How wonderful Babs - what lovely pair to have as regular visitors to your garden and a lovely story - looking forward to see your other feathered friends !
That is so cool! I had to stop feeding Squizzer- my last squirrel because she was getting too aggressive on the sliding door screen. I tried several natural solutions but to no avail- so breaking the feeding habit was the only permanent solution. These two really do appear to be quite the pair. How fun they have chosen to make you part of their family.
Ian
Shame about Squizzer, he didn't realize he was on to a good thing and blew it.