Saturday, July 3, 2021

PHOOEY TO POPCORN

 Friarbird  tucking  into  a   great  supply of confectionery during interval   while   another  one   feasts  on  a  nearby  palm .


There are four kinds  of  the  bird :  the Silver-crowned Friarbird, found in tropical  northern  Australia from  Broome  to central coastal Queensland   ; the Melville Island  Friarbird , of the Northern Territory; the Little Friarbird , also known as  Little Leatherhead , ranging from the Kimberleys  to the Murray  River Valley ,  whose call-note is  a monotonous , loud "Ar.coo ";  the Helmeted Friarbird of  Cape York , North Queensland , whose call-note is said to resemble "Poor devil, poor devil", constantly repeated . On a really bad day , after the  Cowboys  have  been thrashed , he  probably utters  a cry  similar  to "Ar-coo!", a  bit like the late   Graham  Kennedy's  imitation of  a Crow .