A Large Flock of White-winged Choughs
2 Comments »24th January, 2009; Category: Bird Behaviour
White-winged Choughs, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
At the moment I am working outside in the cool of the evening on my laptop. I’d just sat down to do something with no thought about birding when I was distracted by a flock of White-winged Choughs in our garden.
Normally we have a family groups of about 8 regularly patrolling the grounds, feeding and minding their own business.
I was attracted by the extra noise being created by this flock this evening. I looked up and counted at least 16 birds flying past, all making quite a racket. This number is a little unusual as normally family groups around here number from about five to a dozen, rarely more.
All I can assume is that two neighbouring groups have met where their territories cross over. That was the probable cause of the noisy and larger than normal group. Whatever the reason, they have now moved on and I can no longer hear them. Their territories can cover many hectares.
The photo above was taken a few weeks ago a long distance from here in Murray Bridge. It was taken during a visit to Canberra Botanic Gardens.
White-winged Choughs in the heat
Yesterday I wrote about Magpies in the hot weather we are having. So far we have had a rather mild summer, but the last few days has brought in the hot weather we’ve been expecting for some weeks. More hot days are forecast for the coming week.
During warm weather our bird baths are well used by the resident birds in our garden. When it is hot there is a constant stream of birds of many different species taking advantage of the water for both drinking and bathing. It is great entertainment for us as well as providing a much needed resource for the birds.
At one stage yesterday I was amused by the family of eight White-winged Choughs who all came to have a drink. All at once. I am so pleased that they did not decide to have a bath as well. A single Magpie can almost empty the bird bath in minutes; I’d hate to think how little water would have been left after eight WW Choughs had finished bathing!
White Winged Choughs nesting
White Winged Chough carrying nesting material
Earlier this week I was aware of plenty of noise in the garden coming from the local family of White Winged Choughs. About five or six of them were regularly flying into the garden from next door and then parading around. I noticed several of them collecting tufts of drying grass from the mowing I had done the week before (see photo above).
They were obviously then heading off next door to a tree about fifty metres away. It took only a few seconds for me to locate the partially built mud nest.
As I returned from looking at the nest I disturbed two more near our tank – where there is a slow leak. Ah ha – so that’s where they are gathering the mud for the nest. It has been a busy few days for the family. I look forward to the time when the babies are being fed. There will be a constant flow of traffic feeding them.
White Winged Choughs
White Winged Chough
One of our favourite species of bird here where we live in Murray Bridge South Australia is the White Winged Chough. At first glance, the inexperienced observer might dismiss them as a crow or raven or just another large black bird. We think differently of them.
We have a family of Choughs that has taken to visiting our garden almost on a daily basis. Walking “the estate” (we live on five acres of land) I often see little scratchings in the ground where they have been searching for some tasty morsel to eat.
Choughs are almost always seen in small family flocks numbering from about six or seven through to as many as twenty. Nesting is a communal or family affair. Most of the flock will contribute to the building of the bowl shaped mud nest. After the eggs hatch the whole family helps raise the chicks.
It always amuses me how this species often prefers to walk or hop along rather than expend their energy in flying. At times they can be quite unafraid of humans. I’ve stood in the middle of a flock of about a dozen as they continued to feed on the ground around me, just metres from where I stood.
White Winged Choughs
Choughs v Magpies
White Winged Chough
Last week I wrote about the conflict in our garden between the family of White Winged Choughs and the Little Ravens. Both species were present in our mallee scrub feeding several recently fledged young. There was considerable yelling at each other, not the mention chasing and general brouhaha.
More recently the choughs seemed to have taken up residence in our mallee scrub, the orchard and the garden. Now the Australian Magpies are objecting to them moving in on their territory. The male magpie has swooped the choughs on numerous occasions. He never actually attacks any of them but merely makes aggressive swoops in their general direction.
These attacks usually result in the choughs ganging up on the poor lone magpie and seeing him off. With twelve choughs against one magpie it seems that the odds are against the magpie.
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