Hi All -- I am usually one of the likely not inconsiderable discussion
list 'sleepers' -- avidly reading postings, but not inclined to post any
of our own (in my case, a combination of relative inexperience in
birding and embarrassment at letting my COG membership lapse -- the
latter I intend sorting out asap, the former will take some time).
But I saw something curious recently, and hope for an explanation
(please bear with my long description).
A loudly calling striated pardalote in a eucalypt near the civic
entrance of the A. D. Hope building at ANU caught my attention
yesterday.
It was alone, which seemed odd -- in my, albeit limited experience, I've
always seen them feeding in company (of their kind and/or other
species).
I watched it snacking on -- I assume -- lerps (no binos with me) for a
minute or so whereupon it sallied forth in a brief, steep little flight
away from the tree in such a fashion that I assumed it was hawking an
insect. This also seemed odd, or at least, I've not seen pardalotes
hawking insects like this before.
After returning to the eucalypt for a moment, it then did the hawking
move once more, before flying over to the wall of the adjacent building,
fluttering about like a wattlebird looking for spiders under a roof eave
or window-edge, and occasionally stopping to grip the wall itself.
Indeed, I wondered if it was doing exactly this (again, I didn't know
pardalotes behaved in such a manner).
It seemed particularly interested in a large and deeply recessed first
storey window. The recess, and window both, are festooned in old spider
web. As I watched, it flew into the recess area, continuing to flutter
about wattlebird fashion and occasionally clinging to the side-walls.
I suddenly wondered if it wasn't aware of its own reflection in the
window, perhaps mistaking it as a potential mate.
Is this something that pardalotes sometimes do? In which case what I
initially interpreted as hawking insects, may actually have been a
courtship flight? Is this a part of pardalote behavior?
To conclude, it then moved much closer to the window itself, promptly
became entangled in an old, rather thick clumps of spiders web, and
awkwardly exited the window recess covered in a lump of web nearly as
big as itself. Flying rather clumsily, and trying and failing to do
another sideways wall-grip, it made it back to the eucalyptus tree,
where luckily, much of the web came away on branchlets.
I then wondered if it may have been aiming at retrieving some spiderweb
for nest-lining purposes. I don't have the relevant HANZAB, and could
not discover if striated pardalotes use spiderweb for this purpose.
A few more lerps, another 'hawking move', a perch on the roof guttering
above the window, quizzical look and then away it flew.
Apologies for such a long posting, about a bird which is fairly common
(I admit I really enjoy seeing pardalotes of any sort)... but does
anyone have any ideas?
(I did look for possible nesting sites in the recess, as I understand
striated pardalotes may nest in building crevices, but couldn't see
anything even remotely likely).
Many thanks,
Phil.
__________________________
Dr Phillip Winn
School of Archaeology and Anthropology
Faculty of Arts
Australian National University
Rm. G10 A.D. Hope
ph. 6125 3610
*******************************************************************************************************
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the Canberra
Ornithologists Group.
List-Post: <>
List-Help: <>
List-Unsubscribe: <>
List-Subscribe: <>
List archive: <http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds>
List manager: David McDonald, phone (02) 6231 8904; email
<>
|
