August 31, 2025 • 28 mins
What was that sound?
It was a bird, but what kind of bird? Well, Geraldine and Maddie are here to identify it, with the help of Happy Pants' seemingly endless pockets.
Amongst birding; the gang also listen to some songs, hear a story about a cat and their bird friend and learn a couple of new Big Words.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:13):
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:31):
Good day, and welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially
for kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine.
S3 (00:39):
And my name is Maddie. And together, we're your happy
pants team for today.
S2 (00:44):
Are you wearing your happy pants today? We are. Today
my happy pants are a deep, cool blue color called indigo.
It's a sort of halfway color between blue and purple.
S3 (00:56):
I know that indigo is the second last color in
the rainbow. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green, blue. Then comes indigo,
and violet is the last color. I can't actually see
the colors, of course, but I believe Violet is a
sort of purple color. I also know that indigo is
(01:19):
a plant that makes a dark blue dye. And that
my jeans are dyed with indigo. That's why they are
called blue jeans.
S2 (01:29):
Have you checked your happy pants pockets yet? Maddie?
S3 (01:32):
Oh, yes. I couldn't wait. I checked the pockets before
I put on my happy pants. Guess what? Empty.
S2 (01:40):
Oh, that was. That was a while ago. Have another look.
S3 (01:45):
Good heavens. There is something in here. How did that
get there?
S2 (01:50):
What is it?
S3 (01:51):
A big bundle of what feels like feathers. Lots of
different feathers.
S2 (01:57):
Anything else?
S3 (01:59):
Oh. Something creepy crawly. It's grubs. Your turn. I bet
you get cockroaches or something.
S2 (02:08):
Front pocket. Ah! Something big and long. A spade back pocket. Wow.
There's lots of something. It's plants. There's a grevillea, a
native bluebell, some everlasting daisies, a dwarf bottlebrush, a lillypilly
and a wattle. No cockroaches though. Thank you.
S3 (02:31):
Plants are very nice, but happy pants clues are so
we can work out what we are supposed to talk
about this morning. How do feathers, grubs, a spade, and
lots of plants fit together?
S2 (02:45):
Well, the spade could be used to dig holes in
the garden for the plants, but feathers don't grow in gardens.
S3 (02:54):
Some grubs do feed on plants, but they don't eat feathers.
And a spade just digs them up.
S2 (03:01):
Well, they must all fit together somehow.
S3 (03:04):
Do you think if we just sit here in the
sun and think we might work it out?
S2 (03:10):
Well, that sounds like a great idea, Maddie. Sitting and
thinking in the sun.
S4 (03:25):
Ow! Ow ow! Ow ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow ow! Ow!
S3 (04:21):
When you just sit and listen, you hear all sorts
of sounds. I could hear the wood ducks down by
the creek having a gossip session. Wait a minute. I
think I've worked it out. I know how all those
things fit together.
S2 (04:39):
Tell me. I'm still trying to get my brain into gear.
S3 (04:44):
The ducks helped. Ducks are birds. Birds have feathers. We
have lots of birds which visit our garden. Some eat grubs,
others feed on pollen and nectar.
S2 (04:58):
Oh, good thinking Maddy. Those plants all have flowers or
fruit which attract insects. Birds then have a smorgasbord of
things to eat nectar, pollen, fruit, seeds or insects and grubs.
If we planted all those pocket plants, the birds would
have lots of reasons to visit our garden.
S3 (05:21):
Let me feel those feathers. I thought so. They are
all different.
S2 (05:26):
Well. You're right. They come from the different birds which
live in our area and visit our garden.
S3 (05:34):
Listen. I can hear one now. If we sit nice
and still, it may come close enough for us to identify.
That's a big word. Identify means to find out exactly
what something is. And I'd like to identify all the
birds which visit us.
S2 (06:05):
That's a willie wagtail. He's a friendly little fellow. A
bit longer than your hand. If you're digging in the garden,
he'll often hang around hoping you'll dig up a worm
or two. He has a black back and a white underside.
He has a perky, long black tail that he can
fan out and wag from side to side. Well, he's
(06:26):
a brave little fellow, too. He'll dive bomb big birds
like crows until they get tired of ducking and take
off out of his territory.
S3 (06:36):
If we put one of those grubs on top of
a fence post, do you think Willy would come and
get it?
S2 (06:43):
Well, almost certainly. And come back for more. I think
this feather is a tail feather from a willie wagtail.
S3 (06:51):
I can feel that. It's smooth and fairly stiff feeling.
It gives me some idea of how big his tail is. Geraldine,
that sounds to me like one of those wood ducks.
S2 (07:13):
Well, you have good ears, Maddie. There are a few
of them all in a line, waddling along just outside
our fence. And the one in front is a male.
He has some thin white stripes down his gray back,
so he's easy to pick out. Both males and females
have brown heads, gray backs, and a speckled, light gray underside.
S3 (07:37):
I can hear them talking.
S2 (07:39):
Oh, they do like a good gossip. But at least
they talk quietly. They like grazing on the new grass.
There's a breast feather from a wood duck in that collection.
Can you find it?
S3 (07:53):
Hmm. I'm pretty sure this must be it. It's soft
and fluffy, like the feathers in my doona.
S2 (08:01):
Well, the feathers in your doona are probably duck down,
but not from this kind of duck. These are native ducks,
not farmed birds.
S3 (08:10):
I'm pretty sure that these ducks mate for life and
return to the same nesting site every year to raise
their clutch of ducklings.
S2 (08:21):
Oh that's true. The nest is usually high up in
a hollow branch, and the ducklings have to jump down
quite a long way when it's time to leave the nest.
Mum waits on the ground and calls, and the ducklings
jump out one by one. They can't fly yet, so
they sort of bounce like a ball when they hit
the ground. But they're as light as feathers and aren't hurt.
(08:46):
Dad hangs around, keeping an eye out for danger, and
he will attack anything he thinks might harm the ducklings.
Mother duck knows exactly how many ducklings there should be,
and when they're all on the ground, mother ducks calls them,
and they troop off to the water for their first swim.
S1 (10:26):
Oh, shush, mom and dad. I'm trying to listen to
Happy Pants.
S3 (10:41):
I know what that bird is. It sounds first thing
every morning from just outside my window. And it's probably
my favorite bird sound. Am I right? Is it a magpie?
I'll bet one of those feathers belongs to a magpie.
S2 (10:59):
You're spot on. It is indeed a magpie. And there
is what I think is a wing feather in the collection.
It's long, black and glossy. Magpies are quite big birds
with black heads, backs, wings and legs and white undersides.
Males have a white patch behind their shoulders.
S3 (11:26):
Big word alert. Glossy means shiny as if it's been polished,
like my hair feels when it's been freshly shampooed and brushed.
S2 (11:37):
Magpies live in family groups with one male who's in charge.
They have a territory which they regard as theirs and
they won't let any other magpies in. Their songs are
to tell other groups of magpies. This is our patch.
Visitors are not welcome.
S3 (11:58):
Another lovely song is the one the pied butcherbird sings.
I often hear that, but I don't know what the
bird looks like.
S2 (12:08):
Well, he's black and white, like a magpie. Only about
half the size and a bit more white. There is
a grey and white butcherbird too, also with a very
sweet song.
S3 (12:21):
I sometimes hear two butcherbirds, one close by and another
some distance away. One calls and the other answers as
if they are having a long distance conversation. Magpies and
the Butcherbirds have lovely songs, but you can tell which
is which if you listen carefully. I can tell when
(12:57):
the rainbow lorikeets come in to feed on the Banksia flowers.
They seem to be in flocks and they shout at
each other. I recognise the calls, but what do they
look like?
S2 (13:11):
Oh, there are small, brightly colored bird with a beak
specially designed for cracking seeds, and a tongue just right
for sipping nectar. The head is bright purple. The back
is bright green. The underside of the body is bright
yellow and orange, and you're quite right. They can be
very noisy.
S3 (13:44):
Another bird I hear quite often is this one. But
I don't know what it is.
S2 (14:01):
That is a beautiful little superb fairywren. He's smaller than
your closed fist, with a long, fan shaped tail and
legs like long black twigs. Mr. Wren, where's all the
fancy clothes? He has patches of bright blue on his head,
his cheeks, and rubbed the back of his neck like
(14:22):
a collar. His chest is white. His wings are brown
and everything else is black. Mrs. Wren is satisfied with
a neat brown coat. Wrens like to stay close to good,
thick shrubs, where the insects like to feed, and where
they can hide from things which find small birds tasty
(14:44):
to eat.
S3 (14:46):
So if we planted out those grevillea, bottlebrush and wattles
that were in our pockets, we would be making a
place where all these birds could find shelter and food.
S2 (14:59):
And that was probably what Happy Pants had in mind.
That would explain the spade.
S3 (15:06):
I have a question. I get it that if we
plant those shrubs from our pockets, we will be giving
birds a source of food. But why do they need thick,
prickly bushes for shelter?
S2 (15:20):
Well, big birds like magpies and ducks are generally okay,
but little birds are easy prey for predators. Kookaburras and
crows take eggs and baby birds from their nests. Owls
hunt at night and catch night, feeding creatures and small
roosting birds. Feral cats aren't both day and night. Thick,
(15:42):
prickly bushes mean that little birds can slip in between
the branches and predators can't reach them.
S3 (15:52):
Big word alert a feral animal is one which is
usually domesticated but has become wild. A predator is an
animal which hunts other animals. There is one other sound
I hear almost every night. Any idea what it is?
S5 (16:12):
Who? Do you think?
S2 (16:20):
That is a master of disguise. It can hide in
plain sight because its feathers are a mottled brown and
grey like tree bark. And he pretends he's a broken
off tree branch. His disguise is so good that you
can pass within a few meters and never notice him
perched on a branch with his beak pointing up. He's
(16:43):
a tawny frogmouth, and he belongs to the owl family.
Like other owls, he hunts at night and his feathers
are designed so that he can fly silently. That way
his prey usually night feeding animals or roosting birds. Don't
hear him coming.
S3 (17:01):
I have often heard those calls and I can recognize
some of them, but from now on I am going
to listen hard. It seems that there are lots of
visitors to my garden. And now I'll be able to
know what each one is. Is today's story about birds?
S2 (17:20):
Well, it is about two best friends. Dempsey the cat
and bird, his lorikeet friend. The Morning News by G. Carlin.
Good morning. Dempsey whistled bird as he landed on the
balcony rail. Dempsey had been dozing on his favourite cushion,
so he sat up and stretched. Oh, good morning, bird.
(17:43):
Nice to see you. How are things in the park
this morning? Bird came every morning to chat to his friend.
Dempsey was an inside cat, and the only outside he
knew about was that which he could see from his balcony.
At least Dempsey believed that it was his balcony. He
also believed that the apartment was his too, and that
(18:05):
Samantha and Brian, who lived with him, were his servants.
Very nice servants, mind you. They gave him the very
best cat food, brushed his fur until it shone, and
had even made a special catio on the high up
balcony so he could sit in the sun and watch
the activity in the bush park over the road. Dempsey
(18:26):
had no wish to go outside, but he did like
to hear about it. Every day his friend bird would
drop by and tell Dempsey what was going on in
the bush park across the road from the apartment block
in which Dempsey lived. Dempsey called it his daily news bulletin. Well,
said bird, as he checked out the bird feeder Sam
(18:49):
and Brian filled for him each day. The Brushturkey chicks
dug themselves out of their nest mound. Yesterday, bird had
told Dempsey all about the brush turkey nest mound, how Mr.
Turkey had piled up dead leaves and twigs until it
was huge. How, when she was satisfied it was good enough. Mrs.
(19:10):
Turkey had laid her eggs in it, covered them up,
then walked off, leaving Mr. Turkey to do all the housekeeping. Mr.
Turkey had carefully tended the pile, testing it for temperature scraping.
Leaves and twigs off if it was too hot, or
piling them on if it was too cool. Funny little things.
They were too. They scuttled off as soon as they
(19:32):
were out of the nest. Brush turkeys can look after themselves.
As soon as they're hatched. Not like most bird babies,
which need looking after and feeding for quite a while.
Said bird. I guess that means Mr. Turkey can have
a holiday now. By the way, do help yourself to
(19:52):
those seeds, bird, Sam and Brian put them out specially
for you. Oh, thank you, I will, said bird, and
nibbled on a corn kernel. By the way, I saw
Kevin Kookaburra catch a snake yesterday. He and Kerry were
sitting on a branch of the old gum tree when
a silly young brown snake tried to cross the track.
(20:14):
Kevin swooped down, snatched up the snake, flew back up,
bashed it to death on the branch, and swallowed it whole.
Poor Kerry didn't get so much as a tiny nibble.
Later on, I saw her hunting grasshoppers in the grass.
I often hear Kevin and Kerry Kookaburra laughing in the
big old gum tree. They seem to have a lot
(20:37):
to laugh about. Said Dempsey. There is one piece of
sad news, though. Bird whistled through a beak full of seeds.
Some cruel human dumped a mother cat and her kittens
in our bush. Many dumped cats don't survive in the
bush because they've been housecats all their lives, and they
have never learned how to stay safe and find food
(20:59):
in the bush. They don't know how to stay clear
of owls and hawks and dingoes and foxes or snakes.
Some get so hungry that they try to eat cane toads,
which are poisonous if they do survive, it's because they've
become feral and hunt native birds and animals. We used
to have lots of animals like bandicoots, but there are
(21:23):
few in our bush now and that is mostly down
to feral cats. Oh, said Dempsey, that's a sad story.
Sad for the mother cat, who once upon a time
must have had a home where people loved her and
sad for the bush creatures that she might try to hunt.
(21:43):
I'm glad I'm an inside cat and have all my
meals prepared for me. I'd much rather be friends with
those bush creatures than have to eat them. Oh, said
another piece of news. Have you noticed the loud voices
in our bush in the evenings? Indeed I have, growled Dempsey,
(22:05):
and every morning too. No one could sleep through that.
That Whistled bird is a flock of pink and grey galahs.
They spend all day shouting at each other while they
feed on seeds in some paddocks, about 20km that way.
Then they fly home and spend the evening shouting about
(22:26):
what they plan to do the next day. In the
morning they shout some more just to make sure everyone
knows where they are going or what they intend to do.
We'll all be pleased when they find another seed paddock
somewhere else. By the way, Dempsey, I've been waiting for
a friend to arrive so I can tell you something special.
(22:49):
And here she comes. There was a flutter of wings,
and another lorikeet landed on the balcony rail. She tucked
herself behind bird and peeped at Dempsey over his shoulder. Hello,
said Dempsey politely. Have you come to visit too? You're
(23:09):
welcome to share the birdseed. My name is Dempsey. Do
you have a name? The new lorikeet whispered to bird.
Are you sure it's safe? That's a cat. Bird laughed.
Quite safe. Dempsey doesn't eat birds. He can't stand feathers
because they get stuck in his teeth. They also make
(23:32):
him sneeze. When I flew into that window there and
knocked myself out, it was Dempsey who carried me inside
and looked after me. We've been friends for ages. It's
just that birds and cats aren't usually friends, by the way.
My name is Laurie, and if bird is your friend,
(23:54):
I would like to be too, said the new lorikeet.
That'd be lovely, purred Dempsey. Two friends to talk to.
How wonderful. What I actually wanted to tell you, said bird,
is that Laurie and I are planning to build a nest.
(24:14):
We thought we would build it in that big silky
oak tree. It has a hollow branch just right for
a lorikeet nest. And you can see it from your balcony.
We would like our best friend to be able to
see our house from his house. And we'd be able
to visit often for a chat. Dempsey didn't quite know
(24:36):
what to say. He purred with pleasure and wiped a
little happy tear away with his paw. He waved his
tail and even gave bird a little lick on the head,
even though he didn't like feathers. Thank you Bird and Laurie.
I would love to have you so near. That would
(24:57):
be so good. Well, we must be off, said bird.
And with a gentle peck each on Dempsey's head. Away
they flew. Dempsey sat on his cushion and purred His
best friends wanted to live next door. He wanted to
(25:17):
do something nice for them. So he sat and thought
perhaps a new home gift. But what then? He had
a bright idea, and it would only need some good
claw work. He looked at his cushion. It was filled
(25:37):
with soft stuffing just right for lining a new nest.
Dempsey sharpened his claws on a chair leg and set
to work.
S3 (25:50):
That was a reading of the morning news. How unusual
for a cat and a bird to be good friends.
It was nice that bird delivered a news broadcast for
Dempsey every morning.
S2 (26:04):
I thought the bit about Kevin Kookaburra not sharing dinner
with Kerry Kookaburra was a bit mean, though.
S3 (26:12):
Maybe Kerry doesn't like snake. They do tend to wriggle
and squirm. Perhaps she likes crunchy grasshoppers better. So what
have we done today?
S2 (26:25):
Well, we listened to some of the bird calls from
the birds we hear in our garden, so we'll know
just who is visiting next time they come.
S3 (26:35):
We had three big words. Glossy, which means polished. Feral.
That's something which has gone wild. And predator. A predator
is a creature that hunts other creatures.
S2 (26:50):
A big shout out to our listeners who have written
in to contact us. If you would like to know
more about anything in today's programme. You can reach us
on radio at.
S3 (27:04):
Keep wearing those happy pants and we'll catch you next time.
I'll carry the spade.
S2 (27:12):
And I'll take the plants.
S3 (27:15):
Kookaburra sits in.
S2 (27:17):
The old gum tree. Merry, merry King of the bush.
He laugh. Kookaburra. Laugh. Kookaburra. Gay. Your life must be.
S6 (27:41):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians and the traditional owners
of the land. Across our working area, we pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(28:04):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:31):
Good day, and welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially
for kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine.
S3 (00:39):
And my name is Maddie. And together, we're your happy
pants team for today.
S2 (00:44):
Are you wearing your happy pants today? We are. Today
my happy pants are a deep, cool blue color called indigo.
It's a sort of halfway color between blue and purple.
S3 (00:56):
I know that indigo is the second last color in
the rainbow. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green, blue. Then comes indigo,
and violet is the last color. I can't actually see
the colors, of course, but I believe Violet is a
sort of purple color. I also know that indigo is
(01:19):
a plant that makes a dark blue dye. And that
my jeans are dyed with indigo. That's why they are
called blue jeans.
S2 (01:29):
Have you checked your happy pants pockets yet? Maddie?
S3 (01:32):
Oh, yes. I couldn't wait. I checked the pockets before
I put on my happy pants. Guess what? Empty.
S2 (01:40):
Oh, that was. That was a while ago. Have another look.
S3 (01:45):
Good heavens. There is something in here. How did that
get there?
S2 (01:50):
What is it?
S3 (01:51):
A big bundle of what feels like feathers. Lots of
different feathers.
S2 (01:57):
Anything else?
S3 (01:59):
Oh. Something creepy crawly. It's grubs. Your turn. I bet
you get cockroaches or something.
S2 (02:08):
Front pocket. Ah! Something big and long. A spade back pocket. Wow.
There's lots of something. It's plants. There's a grevillea, a
native bluebell, some everlasting daisies, a dwarf bottlebrush, a lillypilly
and a wattle. No cockroaches though. Thank you.
S3 (02:31):
Plants are very nice, but happy pants clues are so
we can work out what we are supposed to talk
about this morning. How do feathers, grubs, a spade, and
lots of plants fit together?
S2 (02:45):
Well, the spade could be used to dig holes in
the garden for the plants, but feathers don't grow in gardens.
S3 (02:54):
Some grubs do feed on plants, but they don't eat feathers.
And a spade just digs them up.
S2 (03:01):
Well, they must all fit together somehow.
S3 (03:04):
Do you think if we just sit here in the
sun and think we might work it out?
S2 (03:10):
Well, that sounds like a great idea, Maddie. Sitting and
thinking in the sun.
S4 (03:25):
Ow! Ow ow! Ow ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow ow! Ow!
S3 (04:21):
When you just sit and listen, you hear all sorts
of sounds. I could hear the wood ducks down by
the creek having a gossip session. Wait a minute. I
think I've worked it out. I know how all those
things fit together.
S2 (04:39):
Tell me. I'm still trying to get my brain into gear.
S3 (04:44):
The ducks helped. Ducks are birds. Birds have feathers. We
have lots of birds which visit our garden. Some eat grubs,
others feed on pollen and nectar.
S2 (04:58):
Oh, good thinking Maddy. Those plants all have flowers or
fruit which attract insects. Birds then have a smorgasbord of
things to eat nectar, pollen, fruit, seeds or insects and grubs.
If we planted all those pocket plants, the birds would
have lots of reasons to visit our garden.
S3 (05:21):
Let me feel those feathers. I thought so. They are
all different.
S2 (05:26):
Well. You're right. They come from the different birds which
live in our area and visit our garden.
S3 (05:34):
Listen. I can hear one now. If we sit nice
and still, it may come close enough for us to identify.
That's a big word. Identify means to find out exactly
what something is. And I'd like to identify all the
birds which visit us.
S2 (06:05):
That's a willie wagtail. He's a friendly little fellow. A
bit longer than your hand. If you're digging in the garden,
he'll often hang around hoping you'll dig up a worm
or two. He has a black back and a white underside.
He has a perky, long black tail that he can
fan out and wag from side to side. Well, he's
(06:26):
a brave little fellow, too. He'll dive bomb big birds
like crows until they get tired of ducking and take
off out of his territory.
S3 (06:36):
If we put one of those grubs on top of
a fence post, do you think Willy would come and
get it?
S2 (06:43):
Well, almost certainly. And come back for more. I think
this feather is a tail feather from a willie wagtail.
S3 (06:51):
I can feel that. It's smooth and fairly stiff feeling.
It gives me some idea of how big his tail is. Geraldine,
that sounds to me like one of those wood ducks.
S2 (07:13):
Well, you have good ears, Maddie. There are a few
of them all in a line, waddling along just outside
our fence. And the one in front is a male.
He has some thin white stripes down his gray back,
so he's easy to pick out. Both males and females
have brown heads, gray backs, and a speckled, light gray underside.
S3 (07:37):
I can hear them talking.
S2 (07:39):
Oh, they do like a good gossip. But at least
they talk quietly. They like grazing on the new grass.
There's a breast feather from a wood duck in that collection.
Can you find it?
S3 (07:53):
Hmm. I'm pretty sure this must be it. It's soft
and fluffy, like the feathers in my doona.
S2 (08:01):
Well, the feathers in your doona are probably duck down,
but not from this kind of duck. These are native ducks,
not farmed birds.
S3 (08:10):
I'm pretty sure that these ducks mate for life and
return to the same nesting site every year to raise
their clutch of ducklings.
S2 (08:21):
Oh that's true. The nest is usually high up in
a hollow branch, and the ducklings have to jump down
quite a long way when it's time to leave the nest.
Mum waits on the ground and calls, and the ducklings
jump out one by one. They can't fly yet, so
they sort of bounce like a ball when they hit
the ground. But they're as light as feathers and aren't hurt.
(08:46):
Dad hangs around, keeping an eye out for danger, and
he will attack anything he thinks might harm the ducklings.
Mother duck knows exactly how many ducklings there should be,
and when they're all on the ground, mother ducks calls them,
and they troop off to the water for their first swim.
S1 (10:26):
Oh, shush, mom and dad. I'm trying to listen to
Happy Pants.
S3 (10:41):
I know what that bird is. It sounds first thing
every morning from just outside my window. And it's probably
my favorite bird sound. Am I right? Is it a magpie?
I'll bet one of those feathers belongs to a magpie.
S2 (10:59):
You're spot on. It is indeed a magpie. And there
is what I think is a wing feather in the collection.
It's long, black and glossy. Magpies are quite big birds
with black heads, backs, wings and legs and white undersides.
Males have a white patch behind their shoulders.
S3 (11:26):
Big word alert. Glossy means shiny as if it's been polished,
like my hair feels when it's been freshly shampooed and brushed.
S2 (11:37):
Magpies live in family groups with one male who's in charge.
They have a territory which they regard as theirs and
they won't let any other magpies in. Their songs are
to tell other groups of magpies. This is our patch.
Visitors are not welcome.
S3 (11:58):
Another lovely song is the one the pied butcherbird sings.
I often hear that, but I don't know what the
bird looks like.
S2 (12:08):
Well, he's black and white, like a magpie. Only about
half the size and a bit more white. There is
a grey and white butcherbird too, also with a very
sweet song.
S3 (12:21):
I sometimes hear two butcherbirds, one close by and another
some distance away. One calls and the other answers as
if they are having a long distance conversation. Magpies and
the Butcherbirds have lovely songs, but you can tell which
is which if you listen carefully. I can tell when
(12:57):
the rainbow lorikeets come in to feed on the Banksia flowers.
They seem to be in flocks and they shout at
each other. I recognise the calls, but what do they
look like?
S2 (13:11):
Oh, there are small, brightly colored bird with a beak
specially designed for cracking seeds, and a tongue just right
for sipping nectar. The head is bright purple. The back
is bright green. The underside of the body is bright
yellow and orange, and you're quite right. They can be
very noisy.
S3 (13:44):
Another bird I hear quite often is this one. But
I don't know what it is.
S2 (14:01):
That is a beautiful little superb fairywren. He's smaller than
your closed fist, with a long, fan shaped tail and
legs like long black twigs. Mr. Wren, where's all the
fancy clothes? He has patches of bright blue on his head,
his cheeks, and rubbed the back of his neck like
(14:22):
a collar. His chest is white. His wings are brown
and everything else is black. Mrs. Wren is satisfied with
a neat brown coat. Wrens like to stay close to good,
thick shrubs, where the insects like to feed, and where
they can hide from things which find small birds tasty
(14:44):
to eat.
S3 (14:46):
So if we planted out those grevillea, bottlebrush and wattles
that were in our pockets, we would be making a
place where all these birds could find shelter and food.
S2 (14:59):
And that was probably what Happy Pants had in mind.
That would explain the spade.
S3 (15:06):
I have a question. I get it that if we
plant those shrubs from our pockets, we will be giving
birds a source of food. But why do they need thick,
prickly bushes for shelter?
S2 (15:20):
Well, big birds like magpies and ducks are generally okay,
but little birds are easy prey for predators. Kookaburras and
crows take eggs and baby birds from their nests. Owls
hunt at night and catch night, feeding creatures and small
roosting birds. Feral cats aren't both day and night. Thick,
(15:42):
prickly bushes mean that little birds can slip in between
the branches and predators can't reach them.
S3 (15:52):
Big word alert a feral animal is one which is
usually domesticated but has become wild. A predator is an
animal which hunts other animals. There is one other sound
I hear almost every night. Any idea what it is?
S5 (16:12):
Who? Do you think?
S2 (16:20):
That is a master of disguise. It can hide in
plain sight because its feathers are a mottled brown and
grey like tree bark. And he pretends he's a broken
off tree branch. His disguise is so good that you
can pass within a few meters and never notice him
perched on a branch with his beak pointing up. He's
(16:43):
a tawny frogmouth, and he belongs to the owl family.
Like other owls, he hunts at night and his feathers
are designed so that he can fly silently. That way
his prey usually night feeding animals or roosting birds. Don't
hear him coming.
S3 (17:01):
I have often heard those calls and I can recognize
some of them, but from now on I am going
to listen hard. It seems that there are lots of
visitors to my garden. And now I'll be able to
know what each one is. Is today's story about birds?
S2 (17:20):
Well, it is about two best friends. Dempsey the cat
and bird, his lorikeet friend. The Morning News by G. Carlin.
Good morning. Dempsey whistled bird as he landed on the
balcony rail. Dempsey had been dozing on his favourite cushion,
so he sat up and stretched. Oh, good morning, bird.
(17:43):
Nice to see you. How are things in the park
this morning? Bird came every morning to chat to his friend.
Dempsey was an inside cat, and the only outside he
knew about was that which he could see from his balcony.
At least Dempsey believed that it was his balcony. He
also believed that the apartment was his too, and that
(18:05):
Samantha and Brian, who lived with him, were his servants.
Very nice servants, mind you. They gave him the very
best cat food, brushed his fur until it shone, and
had even made a special catio on the high up
balcony so he could sit in the sun and watch
the activity in the bush park over the road. Dempsey
(18:26):
had no wish to go outside, but he did like
to hear about it. Every day his friend bird would
drop by and tell Dempsey what was going on in
the bush park across the road from the apartment block
in which Dempsey lived. Dempsey called it his daily news bulletin. Well,
said bird, as he checked out the bird feeder Sam
(18:49):
and Brian filled for him each day. The Brushturkey chicks
dug themselves out of their nest mound. Yesterday, bird had
told Dempsey all about the brush turkey nest mound, how Mr.
Turkey had piled up dead leaves and twigs until it
was huge. How, when she was satisfied it was good enough. Mrs.
(19:10):
Turkey had laid her eggs in it, covered them up,
then walked off, leaving Mr. Turkey to do all the housekeeping. Mr.
Turkey had carefully tended the pile, testing it for temperature scraping.
Leaves and twigs off if it was too hot, or
piling them on if it was too cool. Funny little things.
They were too. They scuttled off as soon as they
(19:32):
were out of the nest. Brush turkeys can look after themselves.
As soon as they're hatched. Not like most bird babies,
which need looking after and feeding for quite a while.
Said bird. I guess that means Mr. Turkey can have
a holiday now. By the way, do help yourself to
(19:52):
those seeds, bird, Sam and Brian put them out specially
for you. Oh, thank you, I will, said bird, and
nibbled on a corn kernel. By the way, I saw
Kevin Kookaburra catch a snake yesterday. He and Kerry were
sitting on a branch of the old gum tree when
a silly young brown snake tried to cross the track.
(20:14):
Kevin swooped down, snatched up the snake, flew back up,
bashed it to death on the branch, and swallowed it whole.
Poor Kerry didn't get so much as a tiny nibble.
Later on, I saw her hunting grasshoppers in the grass.
I often hear Kevin and Kerry Kookaburra laughing in the
big old gum tree. They seem to have a lot
(20:37):
to laugh about. Said Dempsey. There is one piece of
sad news, though. Bird whistled through a beak full of seeds.
Some cruel human dumped a mother cat and her kittens
in our bush. Many dumped cats don't survive in the
bush because they've been housecats all their lives, and they
have never learned how to stay safe and find food
(20:59):
in the bush. They don't know how to stay clear
of owls and hawks and dingoes and foxes or snakes.
Some get so hungry that they try to eat cane toads,
which are poisonous if they do survive, it's because they've
become feral and hunt native birds and animals. We used
to have lots of animals like bandicoots, but there are
(21:23):
few in our bush now and that is mostly down
to feral cats. Oh, said Dempsey, that's a sad story.
Sad for the mother cat, who once upon a time
must have had a home where people loved her and
sad for the bush creatures that she might try to hunt.
(21:43):
I'm glad I'm an inside cat and have all my
meals prepared for me. I'd much rather be friends with
those bush creatures than have to eat them. Oh, said
another piece of news. Have you noticed the loud voices
in our bush in the evenings? Indeed I have, growled Dempsey,
(22:05):
and every morning too. No one could sleep through that.
That Whistled bird is a flock of pink and grey galahs.
They spend all day shouting at each other while they
feed on seeds in some paddocks, about 20km that way.
Then they fly home and spend the evening shouting about
(22:26):
what they plan to do the next day. In the
morning they shout some more just to make sure everyone
knows where they are going or what they intend to do.
We'll all be pleased when they find another seed paddock
somewhere else. By the way, Dempsey, I've been waiting for
a friend to arrive so I can tell you something special.
(22:49):
And here she comes. There was a flutter of wings,
and another lorikeet landed on the balcony rail. She tucked
herself behind bird and peeped at Dempsey over his shoulder. Hello,
said Dempsey politely. Have you come to visit too? You're
(23:09):
welcome to share the birdseed. My name is Dempsey. Do
you have a name? The new lorikeet whispered to bird.
Are you sure it's safe? That's a cat. Bird laughed.
Quite safe. Dempsey doesn't eat birds. He can't stand feathers
because they get stuck in his teeth. They also make
(23:32):
him sneeze. When I flew into that window there and
knocked myself out, it was Dempsey who carried me inside
and looked after me. We've been friends for ages. It's
just that birds and cats aren't usually friends, by the way.
My name is Laurie, and if bird is your friend,
(23:54):
I would like to be too, said the new lorikeet.
That'd be lovely, purred Dempsey. Two friends to talk to.
How wonderful. What I actually wanted to tell you, said bird,
is that Laurie and I are planning to build a nest.
(24:14):
We thought we would build it in that big silky
oak tree. It has a hollow branch just right for
a lorikeet nest. And you can see it from your balcony.
We would like our best friend to be able to
see our house from his house. And we'd be able
to visit often for a chat. Dempsey didn't quite know
(24:36):
what to say. He purred with pleasure and wiped a
little happy tear away with his paw. He waved his
tail and even gave bird a little lick on the head,
even though he didn't like feathers. Thank you Bird and Laurie.
I would love to have you so near. That would
(24:57):
be so good. Well, we must be off, said bird.
And with a gentle peck each on Dempsey's head. Away
they flew. Dempsey sat on his cushion and purred His
best friends wanted to live next door. He wanted to
(25:17):
do something nice for them. So he sat and thought
perhaps a new home gift. But what then? He had
a bright idea, and it would only need some good
claw work. He looked at his cushion. It was filled
(25:37):
with soft stuffing just right for lining a new nest.
Dempsey sharpened his claws on a chair leg and set
to work.
S3 (25:50):
That was a reading of the morning news. How unusual
for a cat and a bird to be good friends.
It was nice that bird delivered a news broadcast for
Dempsey every morning.
S2 (26:04):
I thought the bit about Kevin Kookaburra not sharing dinner
with Kerry Kookaburra was a bit mean, though.
S3 (26:12):
Maybe Kerry doesn't like snake. They do tend to wriggle
and squirm. Perhaps she likes crunchy grasshoppers better. So what
have we done today?
S2 (26:25):
Well, we listened to some of the bird calls from
the birds we hear in our garden, so we'll know
just who is visiting next time they come.
S3 (26:35):
We had three big words. Glossy, which means polished. Feral.
That's something which has gone wild. And predator. A predator
is a creature that hunts other creatures.
S2 (26:50):
A big shout out to our listeners who have written
in to contact us. If you would like to know
more about anything in today's programme. You can reach us
on radio at.
S3 (27:04):
Keep wearing those happy pants and we'll catch you next time.
I'll carry the spade.
S2 (27:12):
And I'll take the plants.
S3 (27:15):
Kookaburra sits in.
S2 (27:17):
The old gum tree. Merry, merry King of the bush.
He laugh. Kookaburra. Laugh. Kookaburra. Gay. Your life must be.
S6 (27:41):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians and the traditional owners
of the land. Across our working area, we pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(28:04):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
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