I have never recorded Choughs actually feeding on the green verge within 100 m of my house, but occasionally groups move through apparently in transit to other sites, including nearby reserve areas. I would say the incidence of seeing and hearing Choughs moving through near my address is probably increasing in frequency in recent years, typically now about three times a year, or more. But the real frequency is possibly quite a bit higher than that because I work full time. I keep saying to myself that when I retire I will have a better handle on my GBS sightings!
However, there is one section of suburban roadside green verge in Lyneham, in Brigalow Street to be exact. i.e. where I have seen a group of Choughs congregating, apparently feeding, so regularly on the green verge there; that I find myself trying to explain the phenomenon. It’s apparently an ordinary street verge planted with mature Pin Oaks both sides, at least 100 m away from the nearest open space where I sometimes also see Choughs, but not often (O’Connor Ridge is at least 3-400 m away in a direct line across suburban backyards). This particular spot where I so often see them, is on my regular route to the Lyneham shops for groceries etc., so I pass that way regularly at least 5 or 6 times a week, mostly in the evenings, but at other times of the day as well. It’s hard to see what’s attracting them, but perhaps that site has some other less obvious significance to these birds ( - a nearby long used nesting site perhaps?).
Perhaps the best explanation is the most obvious one. A group of Choughs has established its home range centred in the suburbs and it includes Brigalow St , Lyneham.
Ian Baird
15 Fairfax Street,
O’Connor.
From: Janet Russell [
Sent: Tuesday, 5 March 2013 6:48 PM
To: Jenny Bounds
Cc: Canberrabirds
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] White-winged Choughs in the suburbs
In Aranda we have had them very occasionally on our GBS site and close by. In the past year we recorded 8 in October and apart from a solitary one in the following month, they have not been seen. Our closest scrub is about 250 metres away and Black Mountain across the GDE is about 700 metres.
Janet
On 5 March 2013 17:48, Jenny Bounds <> wrote:
This afternoon, to my surprise, there were 6 Choughs in the street outside my Weston house, foraging on crushed acorns (from several Oak trees planted on neighbours nature strips). There were a couple of young birds in the group. This is the first time Ive recorded Choughs in my GBS for 10 years (last in winter 2002). Later I saw a couple of them moving east from tree to tree towards the green strip between Oakey Hill and and Mt Taylor (about 350 metres away). Has anyone had Choughs foraging similarly in their suburb away from the green strips?
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