canberrabirds

Maggies singing in the night

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Subject: Maggies singing in the night
From: Paul Tyerman <>
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:00:40 +1000
 
Not sure where you live but a bit after my return from the COG meeting on 8/8 to my abode in Griffith on the Red Hill side of the suburb, I heard magpies calling and responding at about 10:45pm.

Shaun,

Apologies, I thought I had included my location but obviously didn't.  I'm in Higgins.  I had intended to get to the meeting but ended up not doing so.  It sounded interesting too! <sigh>

 
The magpies, as you observed, were singing in the dead of night i.e. without any moonlight. (Settle down Beatles fans...)The song seemed muted but persistant with a reply from a tree about 150m away. I went out to check that the calls were coming from the eucalypt I suspected. For about 5 minutes I witnessed calls echoing from the one tree to the other, then a rush of beating wings signalled a magpie flying in the dark to the original tree and back to its perch in the other tree.

You're right, it is somewhat muted.  It definitely isn't the full exuberance of a daytime song, being more basic (or at least that is what I'd call it anyway).  Nice to see that some of us are more dedicated than I am.  Then again it was after you'd got home rather than 3:30 in the morning.  <grin>

Cheers.

Paul T.
Higgins ACT.
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