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Kookaburras

To: <>
Subject: Kookaburras
From: "Dellas Johnston" <>
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 22:37:13 +1000
Hi birders,
 
Maybe someone can answer this puzzle.   Near where I live on the Central Coast of NSW a family of kookaburras about 12 have started an unusual occupation.
 
Every afternoon for the last week at about 4.30pm  -daylight saving - one of these birds picks up a rock (about 45mm in dia) and begins to hit it on the fence - post and rail fence -   When he\she drops the rock, flys down picks it up and starts again.  Today 2 kookaburras did this and then flew into the trees with a rock each,  dropped it and came back picked up another rock and started all over again.
 
Originally just one bird was doing this, now sometimes two.  The home owner is fast running out of rocks and looks like having to find some more for the birds because when they drop them from the trees they land in thick undergrowth, so the birds just get a new rock.  The home owner is quite fascinated by this behaviour.,  Has anyone any idea as to why the birds are behaving in this manner.
Dellas. 
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