Birds of a feather

[drron]

Got reacquainted with the mother butcher bird I interacted the day before our recent trip. She has 2 new chicks.
Once again was cleaning up the dead frangipani leaves. Heard a butcher bird song from the other side of the canal. Mum flew acrodd and sat on a branch about 50cm from me. looked me in the eye and obviously thought yes that's the mad human. started a different sound and the 2 young ones flew over.


One of the young ones. the other is obscured in the tibouchina.


Then mum flew off and the 2 young ones stayed and caught a few insects.
I had to go and change as I was off to the supermarket after having a cup of coffee. Walking into our bedroom I saw mum down on the ground catching a lizard. took a while to stop it escaping. She flew up onto our brick fence and put the lizard into the gap between 2 bricks and pulled a leaf over it. Then went and carefully looked up into the trees outside the fence. noisy miners nest in them. she then flew off.
When I was dressed went back past the window and there was one of the young ones feasting on the lizard. She is one smart butcher bird mother.

 

[VPS]

Birds are amazing creatures

Ukraine war forced eagles to change migration route

Scientists believe they avoided perils including artillery fire on their way to their traditional breeding ground.

www.bbc.com

 

[drron]

Birds have a lot more intelligence than they are given credit for. Two days ago I was given another lesson by my butcherbird friend I first had thought it was a female but he showed me my limitations in knowledge. I was out pruning the Brazilian cherry trees when I was sure I heard a magpie call. So I called back and within a minute a butcher bird landed on the fence right beside me and repeated the magpie call. See i can't tell a butcherbird from a magpie.
but that wasn't the only lesson. I heard a call behind me and tere was another butcherbird and the 2 young ones. they flew straight off but the first was obviously a little larger and so the male. So as well I can't tell a male from a female. he stayed and kept an eye on me.

 

[tgh]

Brazilian cherry trees

do you eat or use the fruit ?

 

[Brissy1]

Brazilian cherry trees

do you eat or use the fruit ?

I have a self sown one (apparently a weed in qld), I really like the fruit, I eat it straight off the bush

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Brazilian cherry trees

do you eat or use the fruit ?

From what I remember/read they are quite TART ?

If so they would make good chutney ??

 

[tgh]

Ours is now a small tree and produces masses of fruit, however it is not sprayed and almost all fruit is insect damaged.
Flavour is a bit tart but other then the hassle of finding a clean one, quite snackable.

 

[drron]

On our trees they are fairly sweet but the birds usually get to them first.

 

[Tiki]

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

I hope this link works. If you love birds and you love visiting Turkiye, you have to see this!

 

[mel-world]

Does not seem to work for me unless I have an Instagram account or sign up. I don't and will not.

 

[drron]

Works for me without an Instagram account. But my computer often works in mysterious ways.

 

[love_the_life]

Does not seem to work for me unless I have an Instagram account or sign up. I don't and will not.

Works first time for me, then asks if I want to view again on Instagram (which of course I don't).

 

[drron]

I have a new best friend in the bird world though we don't talk very much. It is the grey butcherbird who turned up a few weeks ago. Wa very stand offish but now actually follows me around. In truth I follow her.
I have a walking course around our house and 3 laps is just over a 1000 steps. It waits for me near the patio where I usually start. Then fls about a third of the way around and waits for me. then another 2 waiting spots. When I finish I go and sit down for a while in a covered area we call Babylon as for a long time we had several hanging pots there. After a few minutes the butcherbird flys through Babylon and sits on a trellis just looking at me.
So a few pictures.
Near the patio but the end of the day when we have drinks whilst awaiting the sunset.
















And off she goes.

 

[drron]

The number of fish in our canal must have increased considerably. Several fish eaters are regularly flying over it. There are pairs of terns, osprey and sea eagles but they are too fast for me to photograph. This fellow though just sits and watches.

 

[Major]

Joining us for afternoon drinks

 

[drron]

My new friend the grey butcher bird brought a young one to us as we had our morning coffee on the patio. About 7cm from us. The young one as it was using baby talk.


And mum.

 

[drron]

So we now have the battle of the butcher birds at our house. The pied butcher birds were there in force this afternoon. I was in the garden dead heading our kangaroo paws when I heard the old butcher bird calls so answered. I continued my work and the song became continuous so I looked up and 8 birds singing in rounds with movement to match.

Unfortunately by the time I got out my phone and focused a fig bird had flown in and the butcher birds started to fly off.


Originally there were 4 rows of 2 birds. The fellow on the left was the leader of the troupe.