Laughing Jackass

... or kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) wins pride of place today. He or she beat semi-tame magpies to the spot, while they are in my Extras.

Today, our last in Melbourne, we took the train to the suburbs to visit Mr PP's family in Croydon. We last saw them when our paths crossed in Perth, the week before last. It was only a short walk from the station to the address we've been sending Christmas cards to forever and it's great to now have a mental picture to go with it! They fed us well (oh, the joy of a home-cooked meal) and we visited the forest-land of nearby Mount Dondenog, and gazed across at Melbourne as a hazy, pale grey silhouette of towers on the horizon.

We also saw this kookaburra, but it declined to laugh for (or at) us. The magpies, on the other hand, sang out to ask for their daily cheesy tidbits at the family's door. I'd only heard magpies squawk before, but this pair's warbling call was quite mellifluous. Talk about spoilt! The markings on the back of one indicate that it's a juvenile. So ... now it's Farewell Melbourne, Victoria for tomorrow we fly to Sydney, New South Wales!