This Year's Challenge - Larry Again

Each year we've been blessed with our friendship with Maggie and his family and friends, there has been a different emphasis. Nothing has been the same two years in a row. This year, making sure we don't lose contact with grey butcherbird Larry, his family and friends, has been the big challenge. Previously, he had the territory over the road, and the pied butcherbirds Butch and family had the territory behind our house. (The two species have a single territory map, and don't share land.) Although Butch and gang don't want Larry to come, the situation worked out okay.

But this year, a new pied bb group has formed just up the road, and they would like to evict Larry and family and get all the goodies at our house for themselves. At least one of Teddy and Tommy, who saved Gitie's life, is in that group, so we also want to keep them around. What to do? Well for a start, I have been rushing out on the few occasions when Larry comes by each day, ready to give him some grated cheese. I have been brining Teddy's group by only feeding them when Larry is actually present, and so they don't chase him away, as soon as Larry leaves, I go inside and then the crows land and gobble up any remaining food. So Teddy et al need Larry or they don't get fed!

Well here's today's amazing happening. Oh, one more preliminary: Dimpy, one of Butch and Cas's adult kids, who still live at home, squeaks and squeaks each morning until we get up and give him some food. So what did he do today? He got bored with waiting. Today, instead of hearing Dimpy outside, I hear Larry. I rush out, and there is Larry and Dimpy side by side, waiting to be fed together! Clever bird! Dimpy has learned that all he need do to get a quick breakfast is go rouse out Larry and bring him along, and then protect him instead of shooing him away. Larry, literally, has a brain the size of a pea, and Dimpy maybe a shade bigger. But what deep thinkers! Observers of human behaviour, deducing consequences, overriding instinct to keep the other butcherbird species away - you name it, they're clever birds!