Three times in as many days a grey bird, the size of a House Sparrow appears in the backyard close to a foraging Magpie-lark.
The scene always goes like this: Magpie- lark is ground-feeding, little grey bird appears in nearby shrub about 2 metres above the ground and descends rapidly in a series of 60 centimetre zigzag leaps and begins to feed. If Magpie Lark approaches to within 50 centimetres it retreats a couple of metres employing a very quick scuttle – it does not hop like a sparrow, and its every movement is very rapid – after it’s retreated from the Magpie-lark 3 or 4 times it takes off and flies away. Oh, and I’m at the kitchen window 15 metres away and my binoculars are at the other end of the house, so there’s not much to go on but can anyone make a suggestion?
John K. Layton
Holt.
