Bizarre bird behaviour
From time to time we all observe some form of bizarre behaviour exhibited by animals. Birds are no exception.
A few minutes ago I was enjoying an afternoon cuppa on the back veranda. I was in the lovely winter sun and out of the biting cold wind. Very relaxing.
As I sat there a small flock of about a dozen Common Starlings flew rapidly over head and then circled the garden several times before suddenly diving into a tree near the road which passes our little block of land. One of the flock was giving a strange call-hard to describe and one I’d not heard before from a Starling’s considerable repertoire. Very strange.
I couldn’t determine why they had behaved in this way. I saw and heard no raptors sneaking around. This is the usual disquieting event for starlings and honeyeaters and other garden birds. I still have no idea why they were flying like that.
Common Starling
Mallee Ringneck parrots find a slippery dip
My wife and I had a good laugh a few mornings ago. I was still in bed and about to rise. My wife had just opened the curtains. A heavy frost had settled overnight. I had second thoughts about rising, considering snuggling back into bed as a very viable option.
My attention was grabbed by our resident pair of Mallee Ringneck parrots as they flew over the driveway and landed in the tree next to where the car was parked. Because of the frost the car was heavily encrusted in ice. One of the parrots decided to investigate. Naturally he slid straight off the top of the car and down the sloping back window.
Hey – that was fun. He repeated the action several times. Even his partner joined in the fun. They both had a slide on the ice four or five times before flying off. I guess the ice against their backsides may have been a little too cold.
I wasn’t quick enough to get the camera out so I’ve included a photo of one of the ringnecks on a much warmer day.
Mallee Ringneck Parrot