Sittin’ on the old gum tree

27 Sep 2006

Before I knew where here was, or what a Kookaburra was, I knew the nursery rhyme, so seeing Kookaburras in captivity or the wild is still a novelty for me.

When I was wandering round the Botanic Gardens and heard some strange laughter, along with a group of people staring up the top of a tree I walked over, zoomed my lens to the spot and was greeted by this beautiful Kookaburra pair. They stayed for a few minutes while I chatted to some other casual bird watchers and then in a flash, the birds were gone.

And after all this time the wonder of the internet tells me I've had the words wrong for years. It's not "Kookaburra sittin on the old gum tree / Eating all the gumdrops you can see / Laugh, Kookaburra, Laugh, Kookaburra / something-something-something hmmm hmmm hmmm". It is in fact:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gumdrops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra, Stop, Kookaburra
Leave some there for me

I prefer my version.

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