canberrabirds

Currawongs 36-Small Passerines nil.......

To: "'terry gourlay'" <>, "'COG'" <>
Subject: Currawongs 36-Small Passerines nil.......
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:53:04 +1000
Hi Terry,
 
I wonder if you would mind clarifying for the people's benefit (or just mine) what happened in this story. on Sunday while in the back yard,my attention was drawn to three Mynas trying to fend off an attack on a fourth from two Currawongs,as I watched another two Currawongs came to join the fray....All over in half a minute....But I started to reflect "Strange,where are the rest of the Colony of Miners usually about Ten?"
 
I assume this means that 3 Pied Currawongs killed one Common Myna out of a group of 3 and that you expected a group of Noisy Miners to harass the Currawongs out of the vicinity but that this didn't happen. Beyond that I see that you are advocating a Currawong reduction scheme.
 
Philip
 
-----Original Message-----
From: terry gourlay [
Sent: Wednesday, 8 April 2009 4:08 PM
To: hot line
Subject: [canberrabirds] RE:Currawongs 36-Small Passerines nil.......

Dear All,
           At the risk of seeming tedious I would again draw peoples attention to the dearth of small passerines in the Majura foothills behind Mackenzie St Hackett....The only birds that are prospering seem these dratted Currawongs,larger parrots and Crested Pigeons....I could have added Noisy Miners to the list but on Sunday while in the back yard,my attention was drawn to three Mynas trying to fend off  an attack on a fourth from two Currawongs,as I watched another two Currawongs came to join the fray....All over in half a minute....But I started to reflect "Strange,where are the rest of the Colony of Miners usually about Ten?" Since then I have looked for the birds in their usual haunts (Usually they stick around in a 300 yard radius of my back gate)and also a second Colony about four hundred yards along the track....Not a Sausage...Well them that live longest see the most!only time will tell.Another casualty to these vermin is the Eastern Rosella he seems to have dissapeared too,as I saw one taken by Currawongs off a feeding table about five years ago they are probably also casualties ....there seems plenty of seed for them so assuming there is no dreaded Pollypandemic I think we could reasonably assume it is the Currawong...Oh 36-nil?well I thought before the Honeyeaters come through to distort the figures I would count the Small passerines and Currawongs encountered during a half hour stroll up the hill behind my home....As an aside,there is a Currawong nest used every year in a tree in front of my home,it might make a valuable exercise for some student perhaps to examine the food remnants in that nest....Failing that why not expand the Mynah trapping to Currawongs?..


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