Just following on from earlier discussions about the role of Channel-billed
Cuckoo calling, we were woken up around 4 am two mornings ago by the
incessant loud calling of a pair of Channel-billed Cuckoos that were in our
neighbour's garden in Ryde (c. 10 km NW of Sydney CBD). The calling has
continued throughout the day, on and off, for the last two days. This
morning a Channel-billed Cuckoo fledged from a Pied Currawong nest in the
neighbour's Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna). Although the fledgling is
really noisy, constantly begging for food, what I presume are the biological
parents are now silent. I've observed both the foster parents (currawongs)
and the probable biological parents (cuckoos) feeding the fledgling this
morning (It is amazing to see how small the Pied Currawong is in relation to
the fledgling that it is feeding).
Therefore, it would appear that the calling by the adult Channel-billed
Cuckoos over the last couple of days may, in part, have been to coax the
nestling to fledge and to join them. It will be interesting to see if the
adults will continue calling or be silent now that that the juvenile has
fledged. If the adult has laid eggs in other host nests within their
breeding territory, it's possible that we may be hearing the same adults
calling in and around our garden in the near future.
Stephen
Dr Stephen Ambrose
Ryde, NSW
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