234507✽
What a lovely surprise to see these little babies this morning. Trev's been up on the roof painting - it's a glorious day here going to be about 29 a tad too hot for me, but at the moment beautiful.
We've been very spoilt this year as this is the second batch of baby Kookaburras. We've never seen this before, so am amazed that these babies have survived - we've had some pretty hot days. Anyway, you can see they haven't even got their eyes open yet, and are huddled together. There are only 2 in the nest and as I was stepping down the ladder I could mamma in the trees letting them know she was coming. They are ravenous feeders. Only a few more weeks and they'll be covered in feathers. Love Chris
If you can't tell this hole goes back further than my arm can reach inside - so it's a very long way in and very safe and snug. The mother bird hasn't removed the shell as yet, which is surprising. They thought I was the mamma with some food!!!!
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Comments (12)
89895✽
Totally newborns. Have any idea how old (hours/days) they could be. Are they close enough to watch them grow besides climbing that ladder?
2 comments
Hi Anita, they would be about 2 weeks old. This is the tree which is next to our back deck so we can see the parent birds flying in and out, but unfortunately I have to climb the ladder to look right inside the tree. It's an enormous gumtree has a circumference around the bottom of about 9feet! Love Chris
You need to mount a permanent web cam in that opening. lol Please be careful on that ladder and don't go up unless someone is with (home) you.
115778✽
by
asterixsew
30 Dec 2013
+6✽
Thanks Chris, very inateresting
1 comment
Hi Caroline, did you find some flowers? I didn't give you the link, so hope you found them. Love Chris
30656✽
Isn't nature amazing. Thank you Chris for sharing these pictures.
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Hugs
Jerri
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Hugs
Jerri
1 comment
Hi Jerri, yes it is. I'm forever thankful that we can experience this wonder of nature right in our own back yard. The Cicadas are going nuts at the moment - they always make a noise when the days are hot! They sound like a million crickets!!! Happy New Year to you too. Love Chris
234507✽
Hi gals and guys, for those of you interested in our Cicadas, here is a list of their names. Bagpipe Cicada, Black Prince, Bladder Cicada, Blue Moon, Brown Bunyip, Cherrynose or Whiskey Drinker, Chocolae Soldier, Double Drummer, Floury Baker, Golden Emporor, Green Grocer, Masked Devil, Orange Drummer, Red Eye Cicada, Sandgrinder, Tiger Prince, Typewriter, White Drummer and Yellow Monday. The noise they make is so deafening that sometimes you can't hear yourself speak. Love Chris
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CICADA NAMES AND PICTURES
www.cicadamania.com
4 comments
Chris we are at Broke at the moment camping, They are so deafening here, We had to move . Sorry what did you say cant hear you :))))))))
Chris I have found the 'bladder cicada at my place
How wonderful, but I agree with you they are just so noisy. We didn't have them in South Australia when I was growing up, am not sure whether or not they have travelled that far south. Love Chris
Lucky you Kerry, I've seen some Black Prince and Cherrynosed ones!
173695✽
They look so new! I hope they have enough time to grow to survive the winter. Is this a different set of parents right?
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Hi Chris, don't forget it's summer time here and very hot. The parents have lots of feeding to do what with bringing them worms, lizards, grubs, beetles, baby snakes etc. etc. They will fly the nest about the end of January I'm guessing which is very hot down under. Love Chris
158718✽
I love seeing pictures of your babies. ;)
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Thanks Jerrilyn, as I said we were so surprised, we weren't expecting another couple of Kookaburras. Love Chris
2350✽
Better than the 39 we had a couple of days ago. You can have that climbing up a ladder not for me.
Love,
Helen
Love,
Helen
1 comment
Dear Helen,
Ha ha ha I don't mind climbing the ladder, Trev holds it whilst I go up there. We've had some really hot days here too, but not 39 yet. I see there's a lot of heat over the centre of Australia. Love Chris
Ha ha ha I don't mind climbing the ladder, Trev holds it whilst I go up there. We've had some really hot days here too, but not 39 yet. I see there's a lot of heat over the centre of Australia. Love Chris
25546✽
Chris this is amazing for you to have 2 lots of babies. Is this in the same place as the last lot were born.. they look big really. yesterday I was visiting friends near by and they have blue wren babies in their bottle nut tree near the house, I only saw the father and heard the babies. the tree was way too dense to even see the nest. but it was still exciting. Isn't is funny how I don't have blue wrens here but only a couple of blocks away and they do...thanks for the pics and look forward to watching them grow up to....
1 comment
I can't believe it either Kerry, I didn't know that they had two sets of babies within a few weeks of each other. It's the same birds that always come here, so we are very pleased. I hope they can survive the heat of summer! Haven't seen any blue wrens here but saw lots of them up at Ayers Rock (Uluru) Love Chris
299559✽
wow aren't they just amazing! thank you for sharing something I would otherwise never "see"! hugs Loralye
1 comment
You are welcome Loralye, I'm stoked that we have more babies. Love Chris
33451✽
by
marjialexa
03 Jan 2014
+1✽
Oh, Chris, thanks so much for these pictures, too!! What brand new babies, and a second set!! Maybe the food was particularly plentiful or something this year, and that triggered a second set of eggs? Nature is like that, with things that have a shorter gestation period and "childhood" than the larger animals like deer. Sometimes if they sense conditions are right, like plenty of food, water, whatever is necessary for their survival, they'll try for a second batch even if they only usually have just one. The continued survival of their species is the strongest instinct there is, a second brood will double the chances that those chicks themselves will grow up and continue the cycle of life. Wow. What a thrill it is to see this, and I hope they can endure the heat. Do they get moisture from their food? The babies, I mean--certainly they can't drink until they can leave the nest. Can you provide something like fruit for them that would give moisture? Or do they just eat "meat" (of sorts), hee hee hee. I think you need Trevor to build you a treehouse with proper steps so you can take these pictures safely. Have him make it big enough for my bed and embroidery machine, hee hee hee. But don't scare the birds into not coming back! Thanks again for these wonderful things that I would never otherwise see!! Hugs, Marji
1 comment
Hi Marji, the babies get moisture from the food their parents give them. Occasionally we have put out some raw meat as they are carnivorous birds. I like the idea of having a platform built, but as you say I don't want to scare the birds. The pair that keep coming back are used to us and just look at us when we are sitting on the back deck. They can be tamed, my Great Aunt Romula - we called her Auntie Rommie had ones that visited her back yard in Adelaide and they actually ate food from her hands. Love Chris
360671✽
wow awesome thanks for the pictures hugs
1 comment
Thanks for commenting Carolyn, love Chris
45918✽
You are a very lucky person to have the right tree for them to breed in, the photo's of the wild life are great can't wait to see them dressed so to speek..
1 comment
Hi Marian, l can't wait to see them with a few more clothe on too! Love Chris