Many thanks John, Koel fledglings can vary in colour from very light to very very golden, there were many examples of the latter in the bumper 2020-2021 season. The single local (Rivett) fledgling
I’ve observed this season was very brown. Yours is the 17th that I’m aware of so far this season. Regards Jack Holland
From: Canberrabirds <>
On Behalf Of John Layton via Canberrabirds
Sent: Tuesday, 17 January 2023 7:22 AM
To:
Subject: [Canberrabirds] "Golden Bosun Bird"
The Golden Bosun Bird of Weetangera
Received an excited phone call from a non-birding friend yesterday morning to say there was a “Golden Bosun” in his fig tree. I expressed extreme doubt, nonetheless, he couldn't
imagine that it was anything else. He had seen Golden Bosuns in a documentary about Christmas Island one time. (😁)
"You must see come over quick and look, it positively glows like gold when the sun's on it."
"Fool's gold," I thought but said nothing and drove to Weetangera where I was just in time to get a good view of a remarkably golden coloured young koel before a clangour of Pied
Currawongs sent it to a large plum tree in a neighbouring yard. Except for currawongs, no other birds were seen near it.
I'm still very much on a learning curve when it comes to koels and haven't noticed a young one before, certainly not one sporting such remarkably golden plumage. Put it this way,
on a scale of one to ten indicating the degree of golden colour, this chick would score a good number 9. Would it be an unusual specimen?
John Layton
Holt.
