Training Paladian

No this is not a blip Paladian week, as it was only yesterday I blipped her on the rower, and a few days previous, it was having an eye examination! However today’s visit by our family of kookaburras could not pass without blipping. The kookaburras, named Elvis and Priscilla by Paladian, are really smart birds.

They have decided that the competition for food on the back lawn is a little overwhelming, too many other birds, plus Rani lurking in the background. Accordingly they have moved around to the front of the house, to the front lawn outside Paladian’s office.

They sit in the nearby oak tree, and wait for a while. Then Elvis will fly down and sit on the bird bath, and stare at Paladian through the window. If she doesn’t happen to see him he will “cluck” softly until she notes his presence and comes out to feed him.

First base is to throw some mince onto the lawn, and he comes closer and closer. And for the third day in a row, she has enticed him to take mince from her hand.

It’s a really special moment to see the trust she has built up with these birds in such a short time. She is the Dr Doolittle of the bird world and gets a real thrill from it I know.

Unfortunately Paladian doesn’t have quite the same success with Priscilla, who is much more shy. She will come to the lawn, but swiftly picks up her mince and takes off with it, into the tree to eat in her own space. I was fortunate – make that privileged, to catch this hand feeding this morning.

On getting the call from Paladian to come quickly, I feverishly made some camera settings before creeping out the door, hoping not to frighten off this beautiful bird, and grabbed a few quick shots before he left.
See my previous kookaburra here from May.

Bigger beak.

Kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) are terrestrial tree kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea. They are large to very large, with a total length of 28–42 cm (11–17 in). Kookaburras are best known for their unmistakable call, which sounds uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter – good-natured laughter. Hence its name, the Laughing Kookaburra.

Kookaburras are carnivorous. In the wild, kookaburras are known to eat the young of other birds, mice, snakes, insects and small reptiles and other small birds, such as finches if they are lucky enough to catch them. Kookaburras also love raw meat. When you can gain their trust the most social birds will accept mince from your hand. Especially when they are training someone such as Paladian!