Great Birding Moments #2 Pied Currawong

Pied Currawong

Earlier this year we were staying with our son and daughter-in-law in Artarmon, Sydney. One afternoon I was in the kitchen having a drink and noticed that there was something of a confrontation occuring in the back garden. Two Pied Currawongs were trying to ignore several Noisy Miners. The Noisy Miners were objecting to the currawongs coming into their patch. They constantly harassed the currawongs.

In response the currawongs tried to ignore the bombing attacks. This only spurred on the Miners to be bolder in their raids on the heads of the interlopers. After much snapping of beaks and ducking and weaving the currawongs finally got the message and beat a retreat into the neighbour’s garden.

Meanwhile, the kitchen window povided an excellent bird hide. There was enough time to get the camera from the bedroom and then take over a dozen good shots. The beady yellow eye of the currawong in the above photo is quite unnerving.