The Rainbow Lorikeet

The Rainbow Lorikeet is one of Sydney's best known and most colourful birds. Its high pitched calls ring out from urban centres to rural retreats. They are indeed loud birds, as Cameron Webb, the man behind Seaworthy states, ''The racket they make is akin to screaming gangs of teenagers running rampant through the local shopping centre on a sugar fuelled high.'' Because of their noise, their abundance and the fact they like to hang out in gangs, the Rainbow Lorikeet prompts mixed feelings in Sydneysiders. Webb said based his piece on the premise that he hated the birds, but on spending more time with them he found himself reassessing. In his own words: '' The recordings featured in this track were made early one morning amongst the banksia trees behind a coastal sand dune. There were a lot of birds about and they were noisy. They were also moving about between trees, flying in clusters of dozens of chattering birds. The sound they were generating was swirling and whizzing about and, against the backdrop of ocean drone, created a complex and textured wall of sound. I don’t mind music like this.'' Numbered edition of 100 copies.