161

A strident, repeated buzzing close to home caught my attention early Saturday morning. At first, I thought it was a White-winged Triller. I went on to the Birds in Backyards website and downloaded a Triller's call. It wasn't that - this call had no musicality whatsoever. The other bird that sprang to mind was a Cicadabird. I headed over to Graeme Chapman's website, which incorporates an extensive database of Aussie bird calls, and listened to the first recording he had a of a Cicadabird. Bang. That was it. Really, I should know the difference without having to consult databases - this isn't far north-west WA! Birds can still test you, no matter how experienced you are. I haven't seen a Cicadabird for many, many years. I can't actually recall the last time I saw one. Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to chase the bird, as I was off to Canberra for the day. That's bird 161 for town. LJ, December 1 2013.