Cats and Blackbirds
One of my readers Trisha recently made an amusing observation about an encounter between one of her cats and a baby Blackbird. Trisha has given me permission to quote her here:
I have just spent the morning watching one of the strangest sights I have ever seen.
I live at Queanbeyan, (near the racecourse) with three cats. They are happy to stalk the sparrows and mynas – and I let them – but for some reason Crested Pigeons and Blackbirds are not of great interest.
This morning there was a great cacophony of bird alarms, so I went out to check. There was a baby blackbird in a tree with the outside cat looking up at it. The baby came down to ground level (the blackbirds all like to eat the dry cat food) and of course the cat pounced.
I raced out with my trusty water pistol in time to see the cat take the baby by a leg out into the driveway where the parents were twittering and put it on the ground. As it did so it looked up as if to say “Will you all just shut up!” and then walked away back to his favourite morning sleeping spot.
Mum and Dad both came down and chivvied the baby back to the food bowl and shoved a few bits of cat food down its gob, and then back to the nest. Doing this meant that they had to walk past the cat! Yet, peace returned to the neighbourhood.
In regards to cats – I get annoyed when they are all branded as murderers and cold-hearted killers. They are basically doing what a shark in the ocean does, and what any other predator does. However, I also believe that cat-owners have a responsibility to try and create a balanced environment. My cats are collared, which includes 4 bells plus a leap alarm. They are locked in sundown in winter, and 7pm in summer. They are let out at 8.30am, and invariably come back in around 9.30, and spent most of the day on my bed. If I am not home, they are not outside.
Anyway – I enjoy my birds, blue-tongue lizards, cats and possums and there is not a lot of drama in their co-existence. Maybe I’m just lucky.
What an amazing incident!
I’d like to thank Trisha for permission to publish her comments in this article. It is good to hear of a responsible cat owner. If only all cat owners were so.
Related articles:
- Common Blackbirds – my most popular article.
- Do Blackbirds Swoop? Dealing with aggressive bird behaviour.
- A bit on the nose – an amusing encounter with a Red Wattlebird.
Common Blackbird (male)
Great Birding Moments # 27 Wood Duck family
Vehicle Ferry crossing the River Murray
A beautiful spot near our home in Murray Bridge is the nearby town of Mannum. This pleasant community is also built on the banks of the River Murray. It is about a half hour drive from home. Mannum has several lovely picnic spots on the bank of the river. We had our picnic overlooking the river and all the bird life in a sanctuary near the caravan park.
Australian Wood Ducks with ducklings
Mannum has two vehicular ferries crossing the river at one end of the main street. These ferries are always on the go during the day. They offer a 24 hour river crossing service. While we were waiting to cross over to the other side we were delighted to see two families of Wood Ducks on the grass bank in a nearby park.
Australian Wood Ducks with ducklings
Bird Murder in the Garden
A few days ago I glanced at the bird bath just outside our sun room. An Australian Magpie was busily dismembering a baby bird in full view of the house. There wasn’t much of it left so I couldn’t tell what the magpie had captured for its lunch.
Many species have been breeding in recent weeks so I guess that they are easy pickings. I guess this is the natural state of things – survival and all that. Still – it was a rather grizzly sight. The bird in question then scurried under a nearby bush to “finish off” his lunch out of my view.
I didn’t take a photo – so you’ve been spared the gory details!
Related articles:
- Why do baby birds disappear? An article I wrote recently in response to a reader’s question.
- Babies, the birds and the bees – about birds breeding in our garden.
- Baby Magpie – magpies breeding in out garden.
Baby Willie Wagtails – at last
Willie Wagtail
I have been puzzled throughout the spring about the absence of a Willie Wagtail nest in our garden. The resident adults have been flitting around all through the spring with no sign of a nest anywhere. Everyone else seemed to be busy raising their families. There have been nests everywhere and more recently baby birds calling to be fed all over the garden.
Willie Wagtail
But not the Willie Wagtails. They usually nest within about twenty metres from the house for some reason. There are many suitable trees further a field but they insist on keeping close to home – our home that is. Despite thorough searches I have been unable to locate a nest this spring. Two days ago I observed both adults giving one of our Australian Magpies a very hard time, swooping and harassing the magpie until it flew away. A-ha I thought. There must be a nest somewhere nearby – but where?
Willie Wagtail (baby)
Today we discovered two lovely recently fledged baby Willie Wagtails keeping their parents busy bringing them food. Whenever we approached too close the parents would tell us off in a very noisy manner. Keep away they seemed to be saying.
Despite even more searching I still didn’t find that nest.
Related articles:
- Why do baby birds disappear – an article about baby bird deaths.
- Babies, the birds and the bees – a list of species nesting in our garden this year.
Updated Nov 2013.
Wattlebird rescue
The death rate of young birds can be quite high and most of us would be astounded if we knew the true figures. I have written before about this here.
The fact remains: all baby and young birds run the terrible risk of not surviving the first few days or weeks of their fragile lives. There are many hazards for the young bird. One I did not mention was drowning. A large number of Australian homes have swimming pools or garden ponds. I’d only be guessing here, but I’d say that probably up to ten percent of homes have some sort of water feature in their garden.
Our in ground swimming pool (“The Swamp” as I affectionately call it) is an unintended hazard for young birds still learning to fly. Probably five or six times a year I need to rescue a bird that has not been able to escape from the water. This morning was one of those occasions. The poor bird was very waterlogged. It was probably getting quite exhausted too as it flapped and flapped trying to escape. Fortunately I found it in time.
Over the coming months I must be quite vigilant. We have had many very hot days already, and summer officially only starts on Friday. The birds are attracted to the water on the hot days so a pool is irresistible. We do have three bird baths which we keep topped up but this does not seem enough.
Related article:
- Why do baby birds disappear? An article in response to a reader’s question.