My New Bird Friend...

Australia has some seriously weird different animal life.  I knew to expect the ginormous bugs, snakes, etc., but what I did not expect was the crazy amount of birds that are so different than anything I’m used to seeing in the States. 

On the positive side of things, I still can’t get over the fact that I see kookaburras on a daily basis.  There is a big eucalytus tree (or gum tree) across the street from our house where heaps of them can always be found. 

 

Each morning at around 5 AM (unfortunately, I know this because I am usually up at this hour to take David to work), you can hear them doing their crazy kookaburra call/laugh.  I kid you not, it sounds like monkeys laughing.  Not that I’ve ever heard monkeys laugh, but if they did laugh it would totally sound just like THIS

Recently, this bird has started occupying our little porch area.  He sits right by the window and just stares at you.   In this picture, he’s fluffing his feathers for me.  So cute and harmless, right?

 

I recently learned that this bird is called a magpie (which is why I named the one in the picture above Maggie, duh).  I also recently learned that this is their breeding season.  Apparently, these suckers get extremely territorial during their breeding season, and if you happen to be out walking or God forbid, riding a bike, they seriously will start swooping at you trying to peck your head. I swear- I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

I didn’t believe it, until on my way to work the other morning I saw a little girl getting swooped/stalked by one as the poor thing rode her bike to school.  To protect themselves from these attacks, Aussies do this to their bike helmets.

 

Between the deadly snakes, crazy scary ocean-life, and spiders the size of your face, I’m not sure if I’ll make it out of here alive.