Coffee Duck?? Kite Hawk?? yiiii!!! Woodpecker?? Oh..No!!!

[Les Thyer <>]

Hi all,
Bob Inglis said:
"It is always interesting trying to work out what bird the 'old-timers'
are talking about"

I'll say it is!! Take this bird list from a Central Queensland lake resort for the best collection of vernacular names I have ever seen. This is the entire list just to be fair to the author(s):

Sea Hawk,  Snipe,  Sandpiper,  Barking Bird,  Masked Plover,  Spur Winged Plover,  Tern,  Sea Gull,  White Ibis,  Black & White Ibis,  White Crane,  Blue Crane,  Spoonbill,  Shag,  Teal Duck,  Black Duck,
Whistling Duck,  Wood Duck,  Coffee Duck,  Pink Eyed Duck,  Diver,  White Headed Water Hen,  Water Hen,  Jacky Winter,  Banana Bird,  Mistletoe Bird,  Bellbird,  Happy Family,  White Cockatoo,  Bullen Bull,  Quarion,  Blue Mountain Parrot,  Swift,  Zebra Finch,  Sparrow Hawk,  Black Swan,  Brolga,  Swallow,  Rainbow Bird,  Blue Martin,  Mini Martin,  Emu,  Bustard,  Honeyeater,  Bower Bird, Top Knot Pigeon,  Squatter Pigeon,  Bronze Wing Pigeon,  Kingfisher,  Cuckoo,  Robin Red Breast,  Tawny Frogmouth,  Mopoke,  Quail,  Wren,  Butcher Bird,  Magpie,  Pie Wit,  Crow,  Kookaburra,  Curlew,  Willy Wag Tail,  Dollar Bird,  Leather Head,  Turtle Dove,  Woodpecker,  Hopping Johnny,  Galah,  Black Cockatoo,  Rosella,  Budgerigar,  Crimson Wing Parrot,  Double Bar Finch,  Plum Finch,  Pelican,  Jabiru,  Lark,  Chicken Hawk,  Kite Hawk,  Wedge Tailed Eagle,  Blue Jay.

Maybe it was a cunning ploy by the owners to get you out and make your own bird list .
I never really found out what a 'Hopping Johnny' was!..........
(If you want to know where exactly the resort is, email me direct.)

Cheers
Les Thyer