but one giant kookaburra over Belconnen this morning –
an impressive beast! How about arranging a COG trip in same next autumn,
outings organizers? Might be fun to see what we can record from a hot air balloon.
It was interesting to watch the reactions of the resident birds to this huge
interloper. The wrens shot into the crapapple and stayed there, silently, until
long after the balloon had disappeared. Starlings and sparrows did likewise
into the neighbours’ pittosporum. The various parrots headed for the
nearest eucalypts and didn’t emerge quickly either. The Crested Pigeons
deserted the wires very briefly then returned while the balloon was still quite
close. The Pied Currawongs shot in every direction, circling, calling, most
upset and remained so for a good five minutes. The feral pigeons from the Hawker
shops took a good close look and didn’t seem at all perturbed. Magpie “Dragglewing”,
who was happily munching his mince in the garden when the apparition appeared, made
sure he collected a gobful before disappearing briefly into the shrubbery. He
soon returned to finish his breakfast. b
