Thursday, April 19, 2012

Autumn Field - feast

Although the rain has been ceaseless for the last heaven knows how long, the paddocks next to us got a cut last week and many creatures such as crickets, frogs and mice got a rude awakening.

This trimming of the verge did not go unnoticed, especially by one very canny Kookaburra
who sat up on the power lines above and kept a close eye on the action.

Kookaburra will eat a variety of prey, including mice, frogs, insects and a snake 
or two when they can get their beaks on them, so I thought it wise to grab the 
camera and hang around for a while myself and see what happened.
The Kookaburra buzzed the field a number of times, quite low, and
seemed to catch a number of things, though as to what was caught
I was not able to clearly ascertain. I believe insects of some sort were the 
victims of  a sharp eye and sharper beak.

The bird seemed to do quite well and eventually left, though not before I got the following shot.
Amongst the masses of grass picked up on the way, suggesting a small meal, were
what seemed to be long insect legs - Perhaps grasshoppers.
Although I was hoping to see a battle with a Red Bellied Black Snake,
a favourite food of theirs, it was an interesting afternoon nonetheless.