Two dependent Koels

["Julian Robinson" <>]

I believed it to be a fully grown juvenile female, just beginning to get the female adult spots on the shoulder.  I don’t know that it is actually still dependent as in my headline, but it was apparently making that call for most of the week.

 

Julian

www.flickr.com/photos/ozjulian/

 

 

From: Virginia Abernathy [
Sent: Monday, 9 February 2015 12:24
To: Julian Robinson
Cc: Geoffrey Dabb; Jack & Andrea Holland; Barbara Allan
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Two dependent Koels

 

Julian,

 

Thank you for this post and the photo. The bird in the photo actually looks more like an adult. More of the head is darker than most koel fledglings and the spotting pattern on the back looks very adult-like. Also, this could just be the lighting, but the eye looks red, like an adult.

 

Thoughts from anyone else?

 

Cheers,

Virginia

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From: Julian Robinson <m("internode.on.net","julian.robinson");">>
Sent: 09 February 2015 12:17
To: canberrabirds chatline
Subject: [canberrabirds] Two dependent Koels

 

Jack’s request for info on breeding Koels arrived here within hours of an email about one in Hawker, and right now there’s one begging in the tree outside.

 

1) From Glenys in Hawker late yesterday afternoon – the bird in the attached photo has been present in their garden for the last week, with a call ‘like a young puppy barking’.

 

2) An hour ago I heard a call I’d never heard before, something similar to a puppy barking, which has moved from the tree in front to a tree at the back, now calling for about an hour.   I’ve seen it once inside a tree - enough stripes to see it is a large cuckoo.  It is attended by a number of Red Wattlebirds, or at least there are 4 uncharacteristically hanging around, of which one or two seem to be feeding the squawking bird. I can’t fathom the dynamics of the Wattlebirds, but 1 or 2 are flying off and returning, and 2 seem to be just hanging around, racing, perching.

 

Julian

www.flickr.com/photos/ozjulian/