Like my sea dragon so much I can't resist showing off his close-up. "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille!"
Now for a song we always sang at church camp and Pilgrim Fellowship rallies, a round like "Frere Jacques" or "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," out of a little blue international song collection, Aussie, in this case:
"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,/ Merry, merry king of the bush is he./ Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra,/ Gay your life must be." You can listen to it on the Internet or at YouTube, happy noise on a winter night. And here's a trio of kookaburras from our Desert Dome to sing it for you:
Ever since I saw this solitary bird in the large outdoor aviary, I've been impressed by its penguin-elegant black-and-white but can't identify it despite Internet searches and wading through my several bird books. I initially described its elegance as looking as if a black cape had been thrown over its back and tied at the front. I was surprised to see it moved indoors for the winter in the South American jungle section below the brilliant macaws (for contrast?). If anyone knows what it is, please tell me.
The very social, brilliant macaws I was squawking about?
Doesn't that warm up the 8 F. outside?!
Gary, the white-headed black-backed duck is called a Radjah Shelduck. If you go to Google and click on images, and then type in the name of the duck, it will bring up numerous pictures to confirm.
Here is some additional information:
The Radjah Shelduck (Tadorna radjah) is a species of shelduck. It is more commonly known as a Burdekin Duck.
Appearance
Both the male and female of the species are mostly white, with dark wingtips and a distinctive "collar" of dark feathers. Seen from above in flight, the birds have green bands on the tops of their wings.
The female has a harsh rattle and the male has a breathy, sore-throat whistle.
Distribution and Habitat
The Burdekin Duck's primary range takes in much of coastal tropical northern Australia, from central Queensland through northern Northern Territory (including Kakadu National Park) to the Kimberley in Western Australia.
The species prefers the brackish waters of mangrove flats and paperbark tree swamps, but will visit freshwater swamps, lagoons, and billabongs further inland during the wet season.
Protection Status
The Burdekin Duck is listed as a protected bird in all states of Australia and extremely harsh penalties exist for harming or disturbing them.
Behavior
The Burdekin forms long-term pair-bonds, and is usually encountered in lone pairs or small flocks. During the wet season the males commonly become very irritable, and have been ob-served attacking their mates.
They eat mostly mollusks, insects, sedge materials and algae. Pairs start searching for nesting sites during the months of January and February. They nest close to their primary food source, often in the hollow limbs of trees, which makes habitat destruction a particular issue.
Burdekins don't use nesting materials except for some self-supplied down feathers. Egg-laying is usually done by May or June, but depends on the extent of the wet season. The clutches range from 6 to 12 eggs. Incubation time is about 30 days.
Keep writing. I love reading about the family history!
Linda