October 8, 2023		INDEX
Click for next image		Australia split from the ancient primal continent early enough to retain the marsupial, the kangaroos and stuff, but it also lost out on the song bird. There are no native blackbirds or robins here and not much of a dawn chorus. The birds here tend to be raucous rather than musical, though there are some phenomenal mimics. Generally though the sound of Australia, which seems to come largely from the birds, is brash and discordant; and this somehow fits the landscape which tends to be big, bold and very often sunny. Of course, along with the raspberries there are whistles. There's one bird that issues a continues series of peeps rather after the fashion of a demented referee who has swallowed his whistle. But it would take a Mozart to gather these sounds together and make them harmonious. In Australia one rather interesting bird plays the role of the hare (reputed to be driven mad through the hare equivalent of testosterone in March). The Noisy Miner, pictured here 'bombing' a much larger ibis, is amazingly ferocious and territorial. I saw one attack (or bomb) a medium sized dog. Right now they are full of the joys (or madness) of spring, which it is over here. Although Australians have been known to complain about the continuous series of noises (rather than song) emitted by them, some put out boxes for them in the trees. They are very Australian and have been taken up by a local line of clothing, marketing noisy miner branded clothing. The ibis, known here as a bin chicken or by other less salubrious names, is a detritus feeder. This would be OK but it tends to take an interest in the waste people leave outside their homes. The ibis can often be seen in ibis trees; trees covered with the things. Not rare but quite a wonderful sight (if you don't have to worry about your bin). Galahs look a lot like pigeons except they have a crest on their head and a pink underbelly. Round here they are thought to be stupid, probably based on the sounds they make. Strangely rather than Galahs I have seen Cockatoos feeding alongside the pigeons. They are very elegant birds, a bit like a Japanese admiral in full uniform, but the pigeons are in much better shape here than in blighty so it is not as incongruous as it might be.
INDEX Jonathan Brind	October 8, 2023