May 5, 2020
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Dave and I have grown to appreciate the variety of colourful birds, their unique characters, and their songs. Thanks to our stay in the Cooloongup home, the backyard birds of Western Australia became a source of enjoyment and entertainment for us.
Currawong
These birds look similar to our crows back home and they are about the size of a raven, Despite their similarities to crows and ravens, they are not part of that family. They actually belong to an Afro-Asian family of birds (Malaconotoidea).
Reference: en.m.wikpedia.org
Dave and I have grown to appreciate the variety of colourful birds, their unique characters, and their songs. Thanks to our stay in the Cooloongup home, the backyard birds of Western Australia became a source of enjoyment and entertainment for us.
Currawong
These birds look similar to our crows back home and they are about the size of a raven, Despite their similarities to crows and ravens, they are not part of that family. They actually belong to an Afro-Asian family of birds (Malaconotoidea).
Reference: en.m.wikpedia.org
These birds are one of our favourites to listen to with their mournful Eyore-like songs.
Australian Magpie
The plumage patterns in this black and white bird vary in different regions. In southwestern Australia the back and rump are entirely white and the eyes of the adults are chestnut brown.
Reference: birdlife.org.au
When we first heard them, their call reminded us of car alarms.
Galah
The Galah is also known as the pink and grey cockatoo. They were abundant in our neighbourhood because several of the neighbours put feed out for the galahs, the white cockatoos and the ringneck parrots. The male galahs have a dark brown iris while the females have a pink iris.
Reference: galah.galahs.com.au
For the most part the galahs in our neighbourhood had a pleasant cooing-like chirp. (The sharp chirp in the video clip belongs to the white cockatoo).
However, we found out they can also have a very annoying call.
White Cockatoos
The white cockatoos in our back yard were plentiful. We discovered that they are the Eastern Long-billed Corellas. According to Western Australia Museum they are now well established in this area and have become a threat to the endemic corellas and black cockatoos.
Reference: museum.wa.gov.au
Reference: museum.wa.gov.au
They seemed to travel in fair sized flocks. In the evenings, around sunset, the flocks gathered together and headed back home. Their calls are generally sharp and they sound like they are screeching.
Australian Ringneck Parrot
The subspecies of ringneck parrot in Western Australia is called 'The 28 Parrot'. This is a large parrot which has a red frontal band and is all green underneath. They are quiet when feeding but when disturbed fly off with loud alarm calls. They are called twenty-eight parrots because when in flight, their call sounds like they are saying 'twenty-eight'.
(Reference: greeningaustralia.org.au)
Laughing Kookaburra
The laughing kookaburra is found in eastern Australia but has been introduced to Tasmania and the extreme south west of Western Australia.
Reference: birdsinbackyards.net
We didn't find any kookaburras in the wild for Dave to photograph, but he did get a picture of one in captivity at the Cohunu Koala Park.
Just about every morning, at the Cooloongup house, before the crack of dawn or right at sunrise, we could hear a noise that sounded like agitated monkeys in the distance. We tried to capture the sounds of the 'monkey' kookaburras in the audio clip below.
Laughing Doves
The laughing doves were introduced to southwestern Australia from sub-sahara Africa in the late 1890's. They are now well established in urban areas close to Perth and surrounding towns.
Reference: birdsinbackyards.net
Unfortunately we did not get a sample of the laughing dove's bird call to share with you.
In the video clip below, when I heard the bird calls outside, I knew they weren't coming from the ringneck sitting on top of the trampoline net. I was looking for more birds and when I stood on higher ground, I saw there were two other ringnecks sitting on the neighbour's feeder. We didn't get to hear the 'twenty-eight' call. The ringnecks in our neighbourhood were usually quite quiet.
The laughing kookaburra is found in eastern Australia but has been introduced to Tasmania and the extreme south west of Western Australia.
Reference: birdsinbackyards.net
We didn't find any kookaburras in the wild for Dave to photograph, but he did get a picture of one in captivity at the Cohunu Koala Park.
Just about every morning, at the Cooloongup house, before the crack of dawn or right at sunrise, we could hear a noise that sounded like agitated monkeys in the distance. We tried to capture the sounds of the 'monkey' kookaburras in the audio clip below.
Click on: Kookaburra audio
On our last day at the Cooloongup house I woke up to the sound of a kookaburra close by. I stumbled in the dark hallway down to the back patio in hopes of recording the kookaburra.
On our last day at the Cooloongup house I woke up to the sound of a kookaburra close by. I stumbled in the dark hallway down to the back patio in hopes of recording the kookaburra.
Laughing Doves
The laughing doves were introduced to southwestern Australia from sub-sahara Africa in the late 1890's. They are now well established in urban areas close to Perth and surrounding towns.
Reference: birdsinbackyards.net
Unfortunately we did not get a sample of the laughing dove's bird call to share with you.
Crested Pigeon
The crested pigeon is native to Australia and is common throughout the mainland. It is found in lightly wooded grasslands in both rural and urban areas.
Reference: birdlife.org.au
We were lucky Dave got a photograph of this bird. It was our only sighting. We never did have an opportunity to find out what he sounded like.
Willie Wagtail
The Willie Wagtail is the most well known of the Australian fantails. The name wagtail is because of the bird's constant sideways wagging of the tail. They are active feeders and can be seen darting around lawns, hunting insects on the ground. The tail is wagged from side to side while they are hunting. They also capture insects in the air.
Reference: birdsinbackyards.net
It was fun watching him in the morning, through the kitchen window, while he chased bugs in the side yard. He never did sing for us so we didn't capture his bird call.