Noisy Friarbird reminds me of stretcher bearers in Bedknobs and Broomsticks

I have a childhood memory of a movie (I think it was Bedknobs and Broomsticks) where the vultures were the stretcher bearers on the sidelines of a sports match. Each time someone was injured, the birds would straighten up and look excited, then hunch down again dejectedly when the person didn’t need their attention.

This Noisy Friarbird reminds me of those cartoon stretcher bearers!

Common name: Noisy Friarbird
Scientific name: Philemon corniculatus
Approximate length: 30-35 cm
Date spotted: 12 September 2025 (spring)
Location: Denman, NSW, Australia: 32°23’33.7″S 150°41’00.4″E

#australia #birds #birdwatching #NoisyFriarbird

Other birds I spied on my afternoon walk, were:

#YellowFacedHoneyeater
#LaughingKookaburra
#PaleHeadedRosella
#NoisyFriarbird

The Rosellas (there were two) were hidden in a tree and not inclined to come out (usually they fly off if I get within 20m of them).

#AustralianWildlife #WildOz #bird

Bonus #bird for the afternoon, since it was outside in front of the veranda a couple of minutes ago calling.

It is a #NoisyFriarbird and when it is calling, definitely lives up to its name.

#AustralianWildlife #WildOz

More birds from the walk.

A decidedly unhelpful female #SatinBowerbird obscured by foliage and branches; another #BrownThornbill this time in a Casuarina tree; a #NoisyFriarbird far off in a gum tree an another #YellowFacedHoneyeater this time on a rock above a small pool, about to have a drink.

#bird #AustralianWildlife #WildOz 🧵