Nature is awesome. (Bird edition).
May. 6th, 2010 04:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
logansrogueI was already pretty aware of the natural world surrounding me, but when we befriended the local magpie family, and the roosting raven mating pair that live in our tree, I found myself noticing the birds around me a lot more, not just as part of the scenery, but as living, feeling little animals. I know that sounds obvious, of course they are thinking, feeling little animals. I think a lot of people have a unknown mammal bias. Dogs and cats and rats and bunnies, etc, they'll love you and remember you and you can be friends with them. I think most people think birds don't have that level of cognitive ability.
I'm not sure what in my esteem of birds has changed, I mean, I've always, always loved them. I just feel more aware, more in tune with them since spending them with them and silently listening for them. I've been noticing so many birds in my yard, it's wonderful.
There's the magpie family. I've actually named them, which is really silly, but I like to be able to tell them apart and know who's there and who isn't. There's three breeding pairs and a juvenile. Used to be two breeding pairs and a spare female, but she recently found herself a nice, healthy young shy male friend. The 'leader' as I call him, the one I think they defer to (I don't know why, he just seems to be the one that checks shit out first) is the one I call Odin, because he has one eye. Then there's Spotty, the imaginatively named male magpie with a little black spot on his back where his white feathers are. There are three females - Ripley, Leela and She-ra. I figure an animal with a lethally sharp beak and claws should have a similarly kick-arse name. I can tell who is who due to their toes - some toes are missing the ends of them. I don't know how that happens, but it doesn't seem to bother them. They're a battle-hardened bunch, it seems, all sporting some sort of old injury. Oh, except for She-ra. And Spotty. Then there's the newest one, who I have taken to calling Thor. The juvenile female is just called Baby Bird. I have no idea how I'll tell her apart when she's mature. Though, they might kick her out of the group by that time. I'll miss her so much! I love how she sits outside the window and calls at me. She knows when I'm around and will come sit with me.
Let's see, there's the ravens that I mentioned. Then there's the little Willie-Wagtail out the front that is nesting in a bush. He's so sweet. He'll come out and jump around, wagging his little tail. There's the Cuckoo Shrike that comes around sometimes. Swoops in and makes a weird multi-tonal call. It's brilliant.
There's an owl that's regularly in our tree. I didn't know it was an owl. Mum thought it was a dove, but my sister says it's an owl. It is definitely an owl. Man, I am fucking JAZZED that we have a visiting owl!! Maybe they like the rich pickin's in our yard. :D
Oh, and then there's the wandering birds we see on occasion. There's the Pink and Grey Galahs that come say hi. In the depth of winter, there's a black duck that wanders in and eats what it can from our marshy pond thing. (It used to be a pond but Dad gave up on it). When we're really, really lucky, the Carnaby's Black Cockatoos come and visit. I love seeing them, they're so sweet. There's also Long-billed Corellas, they make a lovely noise. There's also a local group of Port-Lincoln/28s/Ring-necked Lorikeets. There used to be more when I was a kid. The number went right down, but the local group has been working on getting their numbers up.
There's a grey butcherbird that lives around here, and a kookaburra pair.
Ivy grows by the kitchen window, and it's the best place to see some little birds. We regularly get Rainbow Lorikeets visiting when the figs in the fig tree are ripe. Rogue loves to watch them by the window. And then there's the little weebills that jump about in the tree hunting bugs. They make the sweetest little "cheep cheep cheep" sounds!
Much to my delight the other day, and by far the prettiest thing I'd ever seen in our yard outside of psittaformes, were some New Holland Honeyeaters. I'd never noticed them in our garden before and they were SO BEAUTIFUL. They were jumping to and fro, drinking from little buds on the ivy and they were so utterly elegant and tiny and gorgeously patterned. Seeing a still photo doesn't really do them justice. The way they move about, hop hop hopping, and then their plumage flashing in the light and the shadows like a flashy brooch on someone's jacket - it was mesmerising.
There are the regular birds, of course. Magpie-larks, doves, and Wattle birds (They are incredibly clever little buggers and it's hilarious to see them chase my cats off, which are terrible at hunting birds and in fact prefer to hunt the wild squishy wet catfood).
I can't think of any other birds that visit from the top of my head. We had a hawk-like thing visit once a very long time ago, that was cool. But that's about it.
/bird nerding.
I'm not sure what in my esteem of birds has changed, I mean, I've always, always loved them. I just feel more aware, more in tune with them since spending them with them and silently listening for them. I've been noticing so many birds in my yard, it's wonderful.
There's the magpie family. I've actually named them, which is really silly, but I like to be able to tell them apart and know who's there and who isn't. There's three breeding pairs and a juvenile. Used to be two breeding pairs and a spare female, but she recently found herself a nice, healthy young shy male friend. The 'leader' as I call him, the one I think they defer to (I don't know why, he just seems to be the one that checks shit out first) is the one I call Odin, because he has one eye. Then there's Spotty, the imaginatively named male magpie with a little black spot on his back where his white feathers are. There are three females - Ripley, Leela and She-ra. I figure an animal with a lethally sharp beak and claws should have a similarly kick-arse name. I can tell who is who due to their toes - some toes are missing the ends of them. I don't know how that happens, but it doesn't seem to bother them. They're a battle-hardened bunch, it seems, all sporting some sort of old injury. Oh, except for She-ra. And Spotty. Then there's the newest one, who I have taken to calling Thor. The juvenile female is just called Baby Bird. I have no idea how I'll tell her apart when she's mature. Though, they might kick her out of the group by that time. I'll miss her so much! I love how she sits outside the window and calls at me. She knows when I'm around and will come sit with me.
Let's see, there's the ravens that I mentioned. Then there's the little Willie-Wagtail out the front that is nesting in a bush. He's so sweet. He'll come out and jump around, wagging his little tail. There's the Cuckoo Shrike that comes around sometimes. Swoops in and makes a weird multi-tonal call. It's brilliant.
There's an owl that's regularly in our tree. I didn't know it was an owl. Mum thought it was a dove, but my sister says it's an owl. It is definitely an owl. Man, I am fucking JAZZED that we have a visiting owl!! Maybe they like the rich pickin's in our yard. :D
Oh, and then there's the wandering birds we see on occasion. There's the Pink and Grey Galahs that come say hi. In the depth of winter, there's a black duck that wanders in and eats what it can from our marshy pond thing. (It used to be a pond but Dad gave up on it). When we're really, really lucky, the Carnaby's Black Cockatoos come and visit. I love seeing them, they're so sweet. There's also Long-billed Corellas, they make a lovely noise. There's also a local group of Port-Lincoln/28s/Ring-necked Lorikeets. There used to be more when I was a kid. The number went right down, but the local group has been working on getting their numbers up.
There's a grey butcherbird that lives around here, and a kookaburra pair.
Ivy grows by the kitchen window, and it's the best place to see some little birds. We regularly get Rainbow Lorikeets visiting when the figs in the fig tree are ripe. Rogue loves to watch them by the window. And then there's the little weebills that jump about in the tree hunting bugs. They make the sweetest little "cheep cheep cheep" sounds!
Much to my delight the other day, and by far the prettiest thing I'd ever seen in our yard outside of psittaformes, were some New Holland Honeyeaters. I'd never noticed them in our garden before and they were SO BEAUTIFUL. They were jumping to and fro, drinking from little buds on the ivy and they were so utterly elegant and tiny and gorgeously patterned. Seeing a still photo doesn't really do them justice. The way they move about, hop hop hopping, and then their plumage flashing in the light and the shadows like a flashy brooch on someone's jacket - it was mesmerising.
There are the regular birds, of course. Magpie-larks, doves, and Wattle birds (They are incredibly clever little buggers and it's hilarious to see them chase my cats off, which are terrible at hunting birds and in fact prefer to hunt the wild squishy wet catfood).
I can't think of any other birds that visit from the top of my head. We had a hawk-like thing visit once a very long time ago, that was cool. But that's about it.
/bird nerding.
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Date: 2010-05-06 09:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-05-06 03:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-05-06 09:39 am (UTC)And we get ducks in our pool. Pacific black ducks, according to this site.
...Why are Emperor Penguins listed on the Birds In Backyards page...
Ooh, sound sheets. OH. Okay, we have a common koel or two XD (I like whistling back. They respond!) Maybe a masked lapwing
So. Yes XD;;
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Date: 2010-05-06 10:48 am (UTC)I'd love to see a currawong. They're right next to ravens in my Dad's book about WA birds and I think, "Wow, I wonder what they're like." You sound like you have interesting birdage!
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Date: 2010-05-06 11:26 am (UTC)The currawongs are fun ^_^ Used to keep mistaking them for magpies, though.
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Date: 2010-05-06 11:52 am (UTC)What kind of sound do currawongs make?
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Date: 2010-05-06 10:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-05-06 10:52 am (UTC)Australian wildlife is pretty variable and interesting in general. I never get tired of reading about what's out there. :)
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Date: 2010-05-06 01:48 pm (UTC)I did see a robin the other day though.
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Date: 2010-05-07 12:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-06 02:29 pm (UTC)I named our magpie family too! They were so regal and elegant, I had to call them Narcissa and Lucius! Their son was more of a Crabbe or Goyle, in that he was a big bully, but I nevertheless called him Draco. Draco was with them for several yrs, then they kicked him out and looked like they were feeding young...but the chicks must have died or something happened to one of the parents, cos they suddenly stopped coming, which left me very sad.
But we have a new couple now (whom I haven't named as yet, and it's only JUST occurred to me that 'dad' could well be Draco all grown up!) and they had one baby last season. There's a video of 'dad' playing with the baby on my youtube. :)
We also have corellas, galahs, rainbow lorikeets, rosellas, sulphers, and the yellowtail black cockies. I adore the rainbows! My guys sit along the windowsill and watch the lorries in the feeder on the other side of the glass. And the lorries watch them! XD
My guys also enjoy watching telly! Their favourite video is "Australia, Land of Parrots" which is well worth seeing IMO! There's a section in it about the Black Palm Cockatoo, and their drumming. Amazing birds! There's actually one in the HP movie Chamber of Secrets! In McGonagall's transfiguration lesson! There's also a couple of 'sad' bits where budgies get caught by a predator...we have to fastforward through those bits now cos Spike, the cockatiel, LOVES our budgies and, EVERY time he sees those bits, tries desperately to save the budgie/s onscreen!
Speaking of cockies rocking out - do a search on youtube for 'Frostie - shake your tail feather.' XD
All my birdies ADORE music, and all have different tastes/preferences. Pippin, my daughter's budgie, and the first of our flock, loves TECHNO of all things! He gets SO excited and bobs his head very deliberately in time.
Pippin is also an awesome talker. Here's a link to a video in my LJ that I subtitled - http://leelastarsky.livejournal.com/241880.html
Birds have been frighteningly underestimated IMO. They are EXTREMELY intelligent.
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Date: 2010-05-07 12:48 am (UTC)I am absolutely stunned at Pippin's vocal abilities! That's just insanely awesome, and I'm showing that vid to my Mum, cause she loves animals as much as I do.
The magpie video is *gorgeous*. And I love it when the parent shoves the food in the bubby's mouth and the bubby is still making noises. That funny "Wuggle" little sound when the food goes down. LOL!
I tried to make intelligence tests for our ravens once, cause I was curious if they'd use tools. The bastards figured out how to *dismantle* the damned contraption I'd built every single time. They were like, "Screw the stick, I'm ripping this apart!" Such clever buggers!
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Date: 2010-05-07 02:12 am (UTC)the ravens - Oh yes. Have you watched some of the docos on youtube? Mind blowing stuff. Dropping nuts that they can't crack on roads so the cars will run the nut over and crack it for them. They even understand pedestrian lights! And will place the nut while the cars are stopped, wait (out of the way) while the lights change and the nut gets run over, then fly back as soon as the lights stop the traffic again and eat the nummies!
There's an awesome one of a raven adopting and feeding a stray kitten!
And don't get me started on Keas!! LOL!
The ravens in our area hold 'gatherings.' I've yet to work out the frequency, but a hundred or more will gather in a big pine tree nearby and discuss stuff for AGES. Sounds JUST like parliament, and looks like a scene from the Birds, I swear! They'll all 'talk,' squawk, change perch spots, disagree, talk more, then a group of 3 will break off and fly in one direction. More 'talking' then another small group will fly off, in a different direction to the last group. And so on. It's almost spooky. ;~P
I would LOVE to study them more.
Got a photo of 'Draco' at the feeder this morning for you. :~)
http://pics.livejournal.com/leelastarsky/pic/000sggsr/
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Date: 2010-05-07 07:55 am (UTC)http://twitpic.com/1lpgl7
http://twitpic.com/1lpgf0
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