Butcherbird

I told you about the conference the pied butcherbirds held on our mulberry tree. Since then, we have not seen Gerry's parents Freddy and Terry. Remember, Gerry is their nine months old bub. Gerry has been holding the main butcherbird territory all by himself every since. Two of the five of the newcomer birds think they have the right to live there with Gerry, and they have had a few arguments about who is allowed to take food where.

I went outside this morning to say hello to Gerry, our local pied butcherbird juvenile, only to find that on the mulberry tree were Gerry and four adults. Gerry's family only has two adults.

What's up? The other week the intruder group of pied butcherbirds had made a sortie or two over our place and got Freddy, Terry, and Gerry all stirred up, but this time there didn't seem to be any conflict going on at all.

Both Larry and Harrie grey butcherbirds and Freddy and Terry pied butcherbirds have brought their new chicks to see us this week. Larry came first with the noisiest bub this season, easily out-squarking all the magpie bubs, which takes some doing, because the grey butcherbirds are so very much smaller than the magpies.

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.