The me-tooers still have some way to go to equal their ‘night-calling
magpies’ (NCM) performance of 2007. The absence of one last year
was probably due to lack of the requisite prompt, rather than a biological
phenomenon. As both 2007 and 2009 have them calling in August, I should
mention that I had a NCM in early July this year, no doubt to related to
nesting though, which was starting up around then.
From: John Layton
[
Sent: Tuesday, 11 August 2009 9:34 AM
To: Canberrabirds
Subject: [canberrabirds] A me-too re nocturnal magpies
I've noticed the magpies of Beach Place, Holt are
singing during the earlier hours of darkness of late, starting during
twilight and continuing until 9 or 10 pm. Haven't heard them later though.
The Common Blackbird, however, is a long
time nocturnal chorister hereabouts particularly during bright
moonlight and, I somehow suspect, the street lights set them off as most
certainly does an overnight shower . Ah, warm spring evenings, air redolent
with blossoms, new grass and warming earth accompanied by the song of Turdus
merula wafting through the bedroom window. Makes a bloke wax all poetic
y'know viz,
I love to hear
the blackbird sing
His joyous song
throughout the spring
Come autumn when
he eats our fruit
I' m gonna shoot
the **/\/\--!!~ brute
But Magpies and Common Blackbirds pale into insignificance
when compared to the Mocking Birds. These dulcet voiced mongrels
start at dusk, continue 'til dawn. Then when it comes 'round to the next
dusk the DVMs are off again. Doubtless this explains why some
Americans choose to keep guns in their bedrooms.
John Layton.
