Ron's blog

As I mentioned last time, when we let Butch out, she went to Cas and they spent the day touring their boundaries calling out their song to all and sundry. The song now seems to include our telephone sound!

This morning we gave Butch a good feed, called her family, and let her out. Dimpy came over first and went around the other side of the cage between Butch and the interloper group of butcherbirds, and then when we opened the cage, flew back with Butch into their trees.

Then Butch and Cas did a tour of their boundaries. We heard out 'telephone' ring for the next hour all around the fields. It seems the telephone has become part of their signature tune now.

As you know, we're looking after our pied butcherbird, Butch, who got conjunctivitus that sent him nearly blind.

On Monday I told you about Butch our pied butcherbird's eye trouble. I had to return home from work early that day because we were supposed to go to an evening meeting, and so I got home while it was still light. I found Gitie by our frangipani tree talking to Butch, who, apart from detecting light changes had gone completely blind.

Butch, our 'first' pied butcherbird, who made friends with Gitie way back when Maggie was missing, and Gitie and I didn't know if he was alive or dead, and who cheered us up while we searched for Maggie, is ill. The last few days we've seen his eyes 'crust' up, and seeing is becoming progressively harder for him. We have been giving him bread soaked in antibiotics in the hope that it can help. Without catching him, there is nothing else we can do.