observing birds

Friarbirds visit our yard in spring for a few weeks.  They have an unusual call which sounds like they are talking to you and saying 'What ya doin?" and they repeat it often as they sip the nectar in the grevillea bushes.  They also like the nectar in the lemon and orange blossoms.  The first year of our friendship with Maggie (magpie) I would often sit outside at the fr

A cloudy day and the rainbow lorikeets are flying over to the fruit trees in the neighbouring paddocks.  Our mulberries have long been eaten and  we haven't seen our old friends for some weeks now.  The magpies and butcherbirds have been chatting.  Wendy magpie is now two years old and almost fully adult colours.  Except for her size which is slightly bigger than Sophie, she is really hard to distinguish from her older sister, especially from a distance.   Kerry butcherbird too is two years old and almost adult colours and similarly difficult to tell apart from his older brother Dimpy (now

Butch and Cass the pied-butcherbirds have had a better year too.  Chucky is the newest addition to their fold.  Butch and Cass took a leaf out of Maggie's book and have let two year old Dimpy stay on for another year.  They reckon they need the extra pair of eyes (or rather wings) to help them mind their super energetic kids.  Kerry too is enjoying the company having an older and younger sibling around.  Chucky has a beautiful singing voice - really fine and mellow  - quite unusual as he is just a very young chick. 

Reader Lynell sent us this story and pictures:

28 Jan 08:

It’s so nice to find a site that features Magpies. I just wanted to share some photos of my Maggie. We actually had a Mum & Dad live here for the past 3 years. 

Larry and Harrie our favourite Grey-butcherbirds have always been keen to show us their nests.  We got to meet them  through Vicky magpie when we would trek into the bush to see her.  The first year Larry and Harrie's' nest was on a tree that grew at the edge of the gully and we had a pretty good view (see logo above) as  we  walked across to  Vicky's tree.