Birds (feathered ones)

[xkxlxm]

This morning there was a dead pardalote on the footpath on my walk to get a newspaper; yesterday, over the backyard of a nearby house, there was a bird just doing circles 20 or 30 metres up; must have been a raptor; not a big one, dark colour, but I don't know what it was; first time in quite a few years I have seen a raptor in the daytime around here; I see tawny frogmouths sitting on power lines at night every now and then.

[xkxlxm]

Tonight (Tuesday 11 April) ABC TV, 9 PM to 10:05 PM: The Secret Lives of Our Urban Birds: Sydney [part 1 of 2]

[ford71V8]

Our daughter barged into our house yesterday all upset and fretting. A colourful parrot flew into her as she turned into our street. Bird almost made it but got caught in the roofrack basket thingy she has on her roof.... was a bit messy which is why she needed help removing it (ie. She stayed inside the house).
Cant help but feel for the partner, they are always flying about in pairs. Was a beautiful bird too, so many vivid colours.

[Late braker]

Got two magpies that strut around and look at stuff- they know I’m right there but they just look as if to say yeah I know you’re there and I can fly if I need to. I quite like them. They’re kind of quirky funny. It’s the same pair I’m sure.

[kevino]

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

Tonight (Tuesday 11 April) ABC TV, 9 PM to 10:05 PM: The Secret Lives of Our Urban Birds: Sydney [part 1 of 2]

Good show.
Next week abc 2
Tuesday
9pm
Birds of Brisbane

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by Late braker

Got two magpies that strut around and look at stuff- they know I’m right there but they just look as if to say yeah I know you’re there and I can fly if I need to. I quite like them. They’re kind of quirky funny. It’s the same pair I’m sure.

Same at my place.
I literally just went to the bin now, walked within 2 metres of a Maggie poking around, looked at me and continued on with what she was doing.

[jaydee]

Had this little fellah following me while I mowed looking for an easy meal.
cliker test

[xkxlxm]

Two hours ago, coming back from the train station, I heard what I thought might be a gang gang cockatoo; it was a female; it flew to a tree across the road and the male was there, too. A nearby resident heard them as well and came down the street with her camera. The sun was behind the tree so it was hard to get a good look at them.

I probably told the following tale before ... but up until fifteen or twenty years ago there were several large, tall gum trees here. Then they got cut down. One must have been a sugar gum (?) and if I was inside I could tell that gang gangs were there by the sound of the small gum nuts hitting the garage's tin roof.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

Two hours ago, coming back from the train station, I heard what I thought might be a gang gang cockatoo; it was a female; it flew to a tree across the road and the male was there, too. A nearby resident heard them as well and came down the street with her camera. The sun was behind the tree so it was hard to get a good look at them.

I probably told the following tale before ... but up until fifteen or twenty years ago there were several large, tall gum trees here. Then they got cut down. One must have been a sugar gum (?) and if I was inside I could tell that gang gangs were there by the sound of the small gum nuts hitting the garage's tin roof.

Spotted a few Gang Gangs around where I'm working at the foot of mount Ben, Yackandandah. They come down from the mountains in late Autumn along with the Currawong's and Yellow tailed Black Cockatoos.

Watching the Black Cockatoo's in flight, would have to be the laziest sounding bird aloft.
Sounds like they can not be bothered, giving the occasional flap of the wings and the low pitched screech.

Have the same bang on the roof as the King Parrots are currently chomping on the poor old Oak and plain trees here.

[Citroënbender]

I don’t see the black cockies’ flight as lazy, so much as languorous, sensual. Love their screech.

[ford71V8]

We had a visitor the other arvo.....a tawny frogmouth owl (i think, will post up a pic later)

Was funny. We dont know when he arrived but around 3.30pm my son went off to work and noticed the owl but didnt say anything.
At 6pm his mum brought him home and thats when he asked her when we bought the bird ornament. He pointed to show her what he meant. And thats when the owl decided to move its head. He got the fright haha.
I went down to have a look and took a coupla pics.
The owl sat there at least til 8pm.
Was annoyed I missed him leave but he was gone when I checked around 9.
Mustve been comfy, he barely moved for at least 4 and a half hours.
Interestingly looking bird. Looked like he could have been 150 years old, looked like a giant piece of bark.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by ford71V8

We had a visitor the other arvo.....a tawny frogmouth owl (i think, will post up a pic later)

Was funny. We dont know when he arrived but around 3.30pm my son went off to work and noticed the owl but didnt say anything.
At 6pm his mum brought him home and thats when he asked her when we bought the bird ornament. He pointed to show her what he meant. And thats when the owl decided to move its head. He got the fright haha.
I went down to have a look and took a coupla pics.
The owl sat there at least til 8pm.
Was annoyed I missed him leave but he was gone when I checked around 9.
Mustve been comfy, he barely moved for at least 4 and a half hours.
Interestingly looking bird. Looked like he could have been 150 years old, looked like a giant piece of bark.

Tawny's usually frequent the same patch unless he has lost his habitat.
Keep a look out for him in surrounding trees as he is probably sitting in another one close by. They often swap between resting spots as not to be hassled by daytime birds like Maggies.

[stock1991]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Tawny's usually frequent the same patch unless he has lost his habitat.
Keep a look out for him in surrounding trees as he is probably sitting in another one close by. They often swap between resting spots as not to be hassled by daytime birds like Maggies.

and can be tricky to spot as they are masters at camouflage.

[ford71V8]

Originally Posted by stock1991

and can be tricky to spot as they are masters at camouflage.

You got that right.
He was hard to photograph...either a silhouette or lost to the background

[ford71V8]

^^ little help from a mod??

My owl turned into big bird

[stock1991]

Hey great shot! It's in the open too, imagine on a branch surrounded by leaves. No big deal but technically they aren't owls.

[ford71V8]

Sorry GasoLane, I did what I normally do and then....🙆

[jaydee]

Tawny aren't an owl, belong to the nightjar family, weird name.
We had a family that regularly roost in trees in the small bush area by our local school.
Been coming back with their young one for about 5 years.
Then we started finding them dead on the ground along with 2 boobook owls over a period of about 12 months
A walk around the school and found lots of rat baits, so guessing they succumbed to poisoning.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by jaydee

Tawny aren't an owl, belong to the nightjar family, weird name.
We had a family that regularly roost in trees in the small bush area by our local school.
Been coming back with their young one for about 5 years.
Then we started finding them dead on the ground along with 2 boobook owls over a period of about 12 months
A walk around the school and found lots of rat baits, so guessing they succumbed to poisoning.

owls are raptors, that is, they catch prey in their talons, whereas members of the nightjar family only catch prey with their beak.

Not unlike some f wit poisoning Wedgetail Eagles around our way last year, goose was trying to poison mice.

Good way to spot Owl / Nightjars nests during the day is look for a high concentration of pooped area on the ground below large gum trees.
We have a Tawny family who likes our large gum out the front of the place.

[Rallye Sport]

Noticed a Corrella x Galah in the wild whilst at work this week.

Not my picture.



Lots of birds of prey fledging over the last month or two aswell, Wedgies and Nankeen Kestrels all hovering and hunting on the golf course.

[stock1991]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

Noticed a Corrella x Galah in the wild whilst at work this week.

Thanks, I find this really interesting. I was aware of hybridisation among some bird species even parrots. For example it's said the crimson rosella and the yellow rosella have hybridised into the adelaide rosella, local flocks have at least, due to habitat loss and competition for nesting trees etc.

I didn't know about corellas and galahs.

[HIPO]

Originally Posted by HIPO

So for those who remember my rescue Magpie "Betty"..... broken bloody wing, 10 months rehab in our back deck.... calling it a success .... still with her female friend & her partner + another male now.
Went missing for 6 wks during the breeding period & then she came back alone scrawny & disheveled, asking for food.... hung around for 5 days while i pumped her full of oats, beef & vitamin mix.
The past month they are happily living down the back end of our property, without the need of me feeding them.... many, many hours put into this, including me fighting off gangs of other Magpies on & off for months..... tough , brave girl taking on several at once, when unable to fly properly to save her mate.... must be about 20 months all up now, very rewarding, but wont be doing that again in a hurry!

Betty & gang are still all good & haven't asked for food.... she doesn't escort me around the back paddock anymore, but does call out... my Mastiff recognizes her tone from the others & always looks over & wags his tail.
No more attacks from neighboring gangs, just observing each other from their perceived borders.

[xkxlxm]

Several yellow tail black cockatoos flew over here not long ago today (north east suburbs, Melb.). There was a magpie flying alongside; it didn't seem to be chasing them; just escorting them away?

[Citroënbender]

Did anyone else see the ABC news article about a super rare white feathered black cocky?

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Did anyone else see the ABC news article about a super rare white feathered black cocky?

Nope. Whats the difference to the black feather white cockatoo ?

[xkxlxm]

This afternoon ... walking to the post office through a small park (not the big park I walk through a lot) several gang gangs in some trees. I heard them before I saw them. About 10 metres up one of the tree trunks a male was biting at the raised bark around a broken-off small branch; future nesting hole for some bird.

[jaydee]

Saw a white tail black cockatoo the other day at my local park.
He was squawking loudly, 2 Maggie's were chasing him and grabbing his tail feathers.
He tried weaving through the big trees to lose them but he was just too slow and lumbering.
Eventually he sought refuge in a large tree until the Maggie's lost interest.
Reminded me of a scene from Battle of Britain, couple of Spitfires harassing a Heinkel bomber.

[xkxlxm]

I guess cockies and parrots haven't got the aggressive attitude - or is it that their beaks aren't pointy? - to have a go back at attackers. ???

Yesterday I saw five gang gangs in the same area where I saw some a few days ago; most likely it's the same ones.

[jaydee]

After about a 2 year hiatus, family of Tawnys are back in the Park in their usual roost.
With all the rat baits around the school I was afraid they'd succumbed.

[xkxlxm]

I see crimson rosellas on the side of the Western Hwy feeding on something. Are they getting something there that they can't get elsewhere?