Some birds can be destructive
Female Australian Magpie gathering nesting material from a mat
From a human point of view, some birds are destructive. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are well known for taking to woodwork around houses in some parts of Australia. Many species enjoy eating fruit in orchards (like the Mallee Ringnecks that eat our lovely pears – before they are ripe). Galahs, Cockatoos and Corellas can destroy an almond crop and Ravens and Crows steal eggs from chook yards. Honeyeaters, Silvereyes and Lorikeets enjoy grapes and the list can go on.
My recent experience is amusing rather than annoying. Little Ravens and Australian Magpies have been ‘borrowing’ fibres from a mat on our back veranda (see photo above). This mat is for wiping our boots as we come in from the garden. As you can see in the photo, the mat has definitely seen better days and is near the end of its useful life. It’s therefore good to see that it is being reused as nesting material. We’re really into recycling and reusing in a big way so obviously the magpies have been learning from us.
Good birding.
By the way: if you’d like to learn more about Australian Magpies, I can recommend an excellent book called The fearsome flute players. It is both informative and entertaining; you’ll laugh out loud at some of the antics these lovely birds can get up to and are recorded in this book. To order click here – and there is a special deal for readers of Trevor’s Birding.
Spring is on the way
I went for a half hour walk this morning. There was just the right amount of briskness in the air, no wind, no frost and a few foggy early morning clouds off in the distance. I set off just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. I felt good.
I didn’t take my camera but just used my eyes and ears to do some birding as I went along. Just the usual suspects:
- House Sparrows (common)
- Common Starlings (common)
- Australian Magpies (common)
- Magpie Larks (about 6)
- Crested Pigeons (4)
- Spotted Turtledoves (2)
- Red Wattlebirds (common)
- New Holland Honeyeaters (common)
- White-winged Choughs (6)
- Willie Wagtail (2)
- Masked Lapwing (4)
- Galahs (about 20)
- Nankeen Kestrels (2)
The most interesting species was a Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo calling. It is usually about this time of the year, as spring approaches, that the various cuckoos head towards southern Australia for the breeding season. There are also signs of much activity in our garden and surrounding areas indicating that many species are preparing for nesting, or have already started. Just the right conditions for the cuckoos to come in secretly and parasitize the nests of other species.
Good birding.
Magpies like flowers
Australian Magpie on our back veranda
We always enjoy having a family of Australian Magpies in our garden. They are friendly and never swoop or attack us, even at the height of the breeding season. They strut around the garden as if they own it – which I guess is how they view it. This is their territory; we are the aliens. When we dig up the garden they are there immediately to catch any worms or beetles that are unearthed. When I mow the grass they follow the mower for insects like grasshoppers.
They are also very sociable and will join us for morning tea or lunch on the back veranda. They casually walk around our chairs less than a metre away, quite unafraid of our presence. We think that’s wonderful. They also leave evidence that they visit our chairs and table when we are not there. Several days ago I was passing the glass sliding door leading out to the veranda and saw this magpie perched on one of our chairs.
Was it admiring the flowers in the pot on the table?
Not sure. Perhaps it was watching to see if any insects were buzzing around. Whatever the reason it made a great photo.
If you want to learn more about Australian Magpies, I can recommend a great little book about them. The fearsome flute players (click here) is an excellent read, and there is a special offer if you mention you read about it here on Trevor’s Birding.
Australian Magpie on our back veranda
A puzzling parrot
Colour variations in Australian Ringnecks (ssp Mallee Ringneck)
We have a small flock of about 6 Mallee Ringnecks resident in our garden. We see them every day and they have breed successfully nearby. The Mallee Ringneck is a race of the Australian Ringneck and is found in areas which contain predominantly mallee tree habitat. Our 5 acre block is half covered in mallee trees, so they probably feel quite at home.
In recent weeks I’ve been aware that one of them has some interesting colour variations. In the photo above, the bird on the left has a much darker head than normal, plus more yellow on the chest and blue cheek feathers rather than green. Throughout the broad range of the Australian Ringneck there is considerable colour variation.
The Western Ringneck (also called the Port Lincoln Parrot) has a particularly dark head – it’s black in fact. Port Lincoln Parrots have been recorded in the Adelaide metropolitan region, but it is suspected that they were aviary escapes or releases. I’m not claiming that this bird is of the race, Port Lincoln Parrot, but I suspect it may have escaped from someone’s cage as they are a common aviary bird. Another possibility is that it is the progeny of cross breeding between a Mallee and a Port Lincoln Parrot, thus accounting for the washed out grey head rather than a black one. Both races interbreed readily in the Flinders Ranges where their ranges overlap.
The photo below shows a close up view of the same bird. The third photo shows the normal colours of the Mallee Ringneck.
I’d be very interested in reader’s comments.
Australian Ringneck, Murray Bridge
Mallee Ringneck Parrot
Adelaide Rosellas in a flying visit
Adelaide Rosella
The Adelaide Rosella is a race of the widespread Crimson Rosella. It is confined to the Adelaide region, the Mt Lofty Ranges and through to the mid north of South Australia. It is relatively common in that range and shows considerable colour variations, ranging from a washed out orange through to almost red.
I live in Murray Bridge which is about 80km SE of the Adelaide CBD and about 40km from the ranges. When we first moved here 30 years ago I had to travel 30 – 40km west to see this species. Over the years the range appears to have drifted further east and sightings in and around Murray Bridge are becoming far more common. I can’t claim this as a resident species in our garden, but sightings are becoming quite regular every few months so it might happen in the future.
On the weekend just gone we had two land in the Eremophila youngii bush in our front garden. This bush has been in flower for some time and the local honeyeaters love feeding on the nectar. The resident Mallee Ringnecks also feed on the flowers. These visiting rosellas came early in the morning and sat there briefly in full sunlight. I was just emerging from showering and shaving, and my camera was at the other end of the house. Naturally they flew off before I could take a photo.
One day.
One day they’ll pose nicely for me and I’ll be able to improve on the photo above. Meanwhile, I’ve included a close up photo of the flower (see below) as well as one showing a New Holland Honeyeater in the bush.
Eremophila youngii in our garden
New Holland Honeyeater feeding in Eremophila youngii