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On the home front of late there's been much kitchen bench discussion about
alarm calls and reactions to predators and perceived predators stemming mainly
from the Noisy Minors' observations of the neighbours' chicken pen. Large
low-flying birds like cockatoos and currawongs are met with a long shrill
squawk. Terrestrial interlopers like cats and blue-tongue lizards give rise to
agitated cluckity-cluck calls. Have noticed Common Blackbirds use a
ratchity call when a ground threat approaches, but don't know what
kind of call they emit when the interloper is airborne. Another aspect, often at
Kellys Swamp I've noticed that waterfowl and waders sometimes tolerate a
perched or aerial raptor with complete nonchalance yet, at other times, the
guano really hits the climate control system when a potential marauder appears.
Perhaps birds have some arcane way of discerning if the nimrod is hungry or
not.
Distress calls will often bring similar species as well as others
flocking to the scene. A characteristic which seems to have contributed to the
permanent exit of the Carolina Parakeet. I somehow recall that a fellow (down
Sydey way?) carried out investigations into these areas maybe a few years ago,
but I can't find any reference. Anyone help?
John Layton
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