Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,Merry, merry king of the bush is he,Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.
Gay your life must be.
When I was teaching, this song which is a round, was a favourite with my young students.
The kookaburra photographed is however the only one I have ever seen in the wild. I took the photo in 2006 while on a cycling trip in the Grampians in Victoria.
Kookaburras belong to the kingfisher family and are native to Australia and New Guinea. They have a distinctive call; click here to hear it. (mp3 file - NSW Government site)
To find out more about ABC Wednesdays and see links to other participants' sites go to mrs nesbitts place
32 comments:
Fantastic photo! And a nice poem too. My daugther has photos on the Kookaburra too to day:)
We sang that as a camp song when I was young and we had many verses to it.
Kookaburra sits on an old fence rail,
Getting splinters in his tail.
Cry, Kookaburra, Cry Kookaburra,
Sad your life must be.
Katney - We sang other verses too; and I used to get my students to make up their own variations too. Unfortunately I can't remember any of them.
That was one of my favorite songs in grade school too. I still sing it when I drive past all our eucalyptus trees here...
Wow - that's a fabulous pic of a very pretty bird. Lucky you. All I ever manage to snap shots of are sparrows. Happy Wednesday!
What a great photo. I don't think I have ever seen a bird like that
We sang this wonderful song in elementary school in Mississippi! I love this photo. Thanks.
In the beginning I thought it was children laughing in that call. Never heard that in Norway, but as an urban citizen it may be natural reasons for that.
Well, of COURSE you should do "kookabura" cuz it's such a fun bird and song. We used to sing it when I was a kid in school. :D
Oh lovely and cute kookaburra. I remembered the kookaburra's song. We sang different country songs when I was young.
I saw a kingfisher recently and that was wonderful. You don't see those often either. Lovely photo.
Lovely photo,and a beautiful bird.Love the "song"too.Great K-post.Have a nice day:o)
What a nice bird. Never seen it before. Have you seen my posted animal before? See my ABC wednesday here.
wow...what a great photo!!and a good K.
Thanks for your nice comment on my kitchen...too day it is a BIG mess. The photo is from last year...:))
Have a nice day
Interesting - always something new to be learned at AMCW
It does look like a big kingfisher - do they fly as fast as kingfishers?
PS the plural of haiku is haiku.
I too like rhymes, & how lovely to have one for your K.
So That's the sound that you hear in all these "jungle" movies!!LOL...Finally I know the name of the bird to go with the sound!! Thanks Gordon!!hugs
Am I the only one who never sang that song? Hmmm. Thank goodess for blogging! You can learn so much. Thanks for introducing me to kookaburra. ;-)
My K post:
http://catch-a-falling-star24.blogspot.com/
Beautiful picture of the Kookaburra.
I remember that song as well.
Very good shot Gordon!
Good post for K.
so lovely:)
Looks like ruffled feathers on his little head. Great capture of a pretty bird.
Great photograph. Nice to see someone else who have the Kookaburra. But my Kookaburra is on coins :)
Cute little guy! Do you know if this bid is in the same family as the icebird?
Great post!
Oh yes! Sang that song as a Girl Scout and taught it as a Girl Scout leader. I have to admit that I never saw a photo of it before tho.
I didn't know this bird..And now, I know its call!
miss Yves
I love the look of these birds they have a appealing shape!
However when my children sing the song they never know when to stop!! It's in my head now!
Love it! They always remind me of the Kingfishers we get here in the UK.
Great K post! The picture is wonderful. I also remember learning this song in greds school when I lived in California! Fond memories you have stirred up with everyone.
I have not seen one of these before.
Thanks for the comments everyone. I am surprised at the extent to which this song is known in countries outside of Australia; but then it is a catchy little number.
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