Kookaburras, Gum Trees, and Snakes!

Kookaburras are absolutely gorgeous Aussi. birds. They laugh like crazy and make me smile. Quite pretty too.

It is often said that they warn humans about whether there is rain coming - get your washing in! - and also if there is a snake in the vicinity. Regular little alarm systems.

It is fascinating to think that a bird can actually kill a snake! But these do and hats off to them.

It was when I was a small girl staying with my grandparents in Moulamein in Victoria that I witnessed a kookaburra swooping down from the top of a gum tree to scoop up breakfast. A snake breakfast!

It took the snake in its beak and flew up to the top of the tree then dropped it down to earth to soften it. This it did about three or four times; a bit like bashing your meat hammer down onto tough steak I guess!

It was an amazing sight. Up. Down. Up. Down. One very busy and hungry Kookaburra!

I didn’t see the bird eat the snake thank goodness. And to be honest I thought that they just killed the snakes and not that they ate them!

Nevertheless, a sight never to be forgotten!

I didn’t see the bird eat the snake thank goodness. And to be honest I thought that they just killed the snakes and did not know that they ate them!

Nevertheless, a sight never to be forgotten!

Then to top it all off, during the same holidays and at the height of the summer heat, I was back out at the same stand of gum trees when I heard what I took to be very loud gunshots. Frightened by these sounds and I fell in fear to the ground, but then I was rescued by my grandfather who told me that when the day really heats up the gum leaves can explode and sound just like gunshots.

I think it must have been the oil in the eucalypts reaching flashpoint and then exploding. So incredibly loud it was frightening.

I have asked around since and not many people have ever witnessed these rare events. So how lucky was I?

That would be a yes for the Kookaburra but not so sure about the exploding gum leaves!

But really I was in the right place at the right time to see both these events occur before my own eyes.

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Snakes are a favourite meal of kookaburras, according to the Australian Reptile Park. … “Once they see the prey, the kookaburra swoops down and grabs it with its beak,” it said online. “Larger prey items such as snakes are hit against trees and rocks to kill, soften or break into smaller pieces before they swallow it.23 Mar. 2018 Australian Reptile Park

I read that the snake-eating kookaburra conflict in the above picture did not come out as well as might be expected considering the usual kookaburra meets snake outcomes. The photographer said that after the attack the bird dropped the tiger snake on the ground, left it there but unfortunately as the Kookaburra flew off, he appeared to be distinctly unwell.

Kookaburras are as synonymous with Australia as red kangaroos and dingoes — and just like them, they’re not native to Tasmania. … Sean Dooley, editor of Australian BirdLife, said the first recorded release was in 1902. 24 ene. 2018

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