bird behaviour

Koels Wooing

The sound of bachelor koels trying to attract a mate announces the start of spring in our yard.  But don't be misled by the loud cooing. Koels are usually very shy and the males hide amongst the leaves, their eyes easily camouflaged by the mulberries.

male koel

   read more »

Birds and Animals Celebrate at the Lilypot

 

minnie and cresty at the lilypot

The rains have broken the drought.  Crested pigeons and Noisy Miners share a drink at the lilypot while the other birds and animals enjoy the fresh grass, new shoots and a greeener summer.

The pictures tell a better story.  read more »

Galahs - Room with a View - Naturally

Gum trees have plenty of nooks for our galahs and lorikeet neighbours.

a nice spot for agalah nest  read more »

Sophie Magpie - Queen of The Mulberry Tree (2004-2008)

Sophie on Mulberry Tree

Sophie on her favourite perch atop the Mulberry Tree along with her younger sister Wendy.  read more »

Thornbills

thornbill close upThornbills or Yellow-bottoms as they are fondly called are no more than 10 cms long.  But their hearts and their awareness can match any human.  One morning, we walked into a freshly turned paddock trying to photograph a couple of peewees on the other side.  Our eyes caught some movement along the ground, almost like leaves rustling in the wind, except the  read more »

Muriel's Friends

Reader Muriel sent us this story of her Maggie friends.  

Muriel's Maggie

This is Maggie Magpie sitting on the big plant pot being hand fed.

7 Oct 08  read more »

Lynell's Maggies - Part 2 - A New Generation

Reader Lynell sent us more news about her friends Mummy and Daddy Maggie:

To read about the earlier events (part 1) click here

16 March 08

Today I have some very sad news. My lovely Daddy Maggie died this morning & his wife Mummy Maggie is now being attacked by 6 other magpies who are trying to take over her territory.  read more »

Magpie Dads can sit on the nest

Just a quick note to tell you about a remarkable thing that happened this morning.  read more »

Butch Butcherbird pops in for a mo'

Thusday afternoon before sunset, our wandering ex-patient, Butch, suddenly flew into the frangipani and landed beside me. You will recall Butch went blind and we had to keep her in a cage for over a week while we treated her eyes each day. Then she and Cass spent a day singing all around their territory, and both vanished. The birds have a much more complex life than we humans often give them credit for. Taking holidays, visiting friends and relatives, kids' sleepovers - they do it all. What exactly Butch has been up to we may never know.  read more »

Magpie Conference

Can 'mere birds' hold conferences? It seems so. On Saturday, I drove down to the local shop and, on the way back, was startled to see twenty magpies (I counted them) approaching Maggie's territory from the southwest. The whole lot alighted on Maggie's 'main tree', which I could just see by looking upwards through the windscreen. (Yes, I did first stop the car!)  read more »

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