Noisy by Nature

Ann is walking through some special woodlands, with the moon high in the sky. She is using her ears to try and hear a special mammal that lives here. Can you hear the song of a currawong that should be in bed? Oh... what’s that growly sound? Could it be... yes! It’s an eastern quoll, and it’s not alone.

Ann is heading to the beach to fly her kite, but walking through the scrub she sees a flash of bright red. What could it be? Then, a beautiful chiming bird song calls from one of the trees. Ann knows just what it is! A crimson rosella, one of Ann’s favourite birds.

It’s a perfect sunny day for Ann to watch her friends play cricket at the oval, and there are so many interesting nature noises to listen to. There are some magpies warbling in the gum trees, and dogs and bikes going past on the path - Ann is even listening to the barbeque sizzling. But wait… There’s a new sound coming from the ground. Oh WOW, there are crickets whirring at the cricket!

On Ann’s friends farm, it's really dry from the drought. But if you use your ears you can still hear some of their sheep out in the paddocks, and maybe a kookaburra laughing as the sun goes down. As the birds go to sleep, Ann is getting ready to listen out for a secretive creature. It’s tiny, and furry, and flies! Oh, do you hear that “peep peep” sound. That’s it, that’s a microbat!

It is so noisy in the tropical rainforest! Under the tall trees there are buzzing insects, chirping birds, and croaking frogs. There’s so much for Ann to listen to while she walks to a waterfall. Oh... There’s a strange “wakka-woo” sound coming from somewhere in the rainforest. Is it a person making a silly sound? No! It's a Wompoo Fruit Dove.

The daylight is starting to fade, and Ann is nearly finished her hike in Tasmania. She's listening to tweeting rosellas and calling black currawongs when suddenly something runs across the hiking track making a wheezing, barking sound. It’s a Tasmanian devil! What on earth are they growling about?

In the middle of the outback, Ann is using her ears to hear what animals live in the desert. Let’s listen to the whistling in the sky and the chirping in the the bushes. What is that unusual sound coming closer and closer? A huge bird is making that noise – the tallest bird in Australia! It’s an Emu, but it’s not making that noise with its mouth!

We’re on a camping trip in a forest of tall trees. The boobook owl is hooting so it’s time to get snuggled up in our sleeping bags for the night. What was that? It sounded like a laugh and a sneeze and a gurgle all rolled into one. Ann is going to investigate with her torch. There’s the creature making this funny sound, it just jumped from one tree to another. It’s a yellow-bellied glider!

It’s summer time in the city and Ann is at home, about to take the rubbish outside. Nature is right on her doorstep! Let’s listen to the cicadas humming, and the noisy birds screeching. What’s that pretty birdsong coming from the gum tree? A black and white bird is hopping along a branch, looking right at Ann. It’s a magpie!

Great news nature fans, Ann is back with some brand new episodes of Noisy by Nature from April 21st!

We’re on a teeny tiny island halfway between Australia and Antarctica. There are penguins everywhere and some big brown lumps on the sand making some weird noises. They’re elephant seals! And are they, are they farting?

The evening is falling in a forest on the edge of the city. The forest birds have gone to sleep but the insects are buzzing noisily. Let’s take a walk by the light of the moon and listen to the leaves rustling underfoot. What was that? A baby boobook owl is calling out to its parents for breakfast!

It’s hot summer’s day, and Ann’s on a mission to find an icy pole after going for a swim at the beach. But, what is that racket? There’s a kind of buzzing, humming noise all around us and it’s LOUD. It’s coming from cicadas, one of the 250 different kinds we have in Australia.

We’re in Victoria on a farm with big trees, listening for a special bird. No, that baaaing noise is sheep. And that’s a magpie warbling, which is beautiful bird sound but not the one we’re after. Oh, hear that screeching? That’s the bird we’re after. A black cockatoo!

What goes grunt in the night? Grunt, grunt, grunt. This nature noise is made by a very famous marsupial. You know that cute, fluffy Australian animal that loves to sit in a tree all day long and eat leaves… that’s right, the koala!

On a tiny island off the coast, there’s lots of wind and the waves are crashing on rocks. We’re waiting for a special visitor and they’ll arrive after the dark. All of a sudden, a seabird flies in, crash lands and starts MOANING! As if it stubbed its toe! It’s a mutton bird - and here come its friends.

It’s late afternoon and we’re standing by a pond. There are dark clouds in the sky and it’s starting to rain. Good thing Ann packed her raincoat! Can you hear the raindrops hitting the surface of the pond? What is that other, strange sound? It sounds like a motorbike, but there aren’t any roads close by. That revving sound is the sound of a frog!

Have you ever been in a forest with lots of tall trees and heard a strange, tinkling sound? Like you’re surrounded by lots of bells, all ringing at the same time? This noise is made by a bird that’s hard to see with our eyes, because they’re so well camouflaged. So, let’s use our ears to listen to the beautiful sound of bell birds.

Night is falling in a local park and people are heading home to get their dinner. But humans aren’t the only ones that are hungry.  There’s a strange sound, a kind of shrieking, coming from the trees. What could it be? It’s flying foxes, more commonly known as fruit bats! They’re waking up and getting ready to go find some breakfast.

What bird is the best mimic in the whole rainforest? They can confuse currawongs, trick kookaburras, and even sound a bit like a laser. Let’s head down to the rainforest floor underneath the tall trees, past the creek and around the waterfall to meet the best mimic of all: the lyrebird!