In Port Moresby there was a bird that was called by one
group of people by a name that meant ‘village greeter’. This,
I learned, was a common and noisy bird known by the English label of ‘Silver-crowned
Friarbird’. I was thinking of this today when roused by the clatter
of flying peafowl on the roof and I looked out at the silver light of a cloudy
Canberra morning. The ringing call of another greeter sliced across the
slumbering rooftops, this, of course, being the Narrabundah/Griffith Mr
K. It was calling from a small euc on Rocky Knob, and when disturbed
winged away southwards. It was back in 30 minutes. I don’t
know if it’s the same bird as last year but it certainly feeds in the
same prunus tree, uses the same vantage points and squabbles with the same
wattlebirds.
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