I strongly endorse Megan’s comments generally, including regarding co-flying with King-parrots, which I too have observed. Perhaps this association with King-parrots
is worthy of investigation. King-parrots are common at my place because they come regularly to feed on a planted native saltbush, Einada hastata in the evenings. GGs are possibly even more common at my place that I have observed so far, because I work full-time
and so I’m not at home for most of the day to see them.
Cheers
Ian Baird
From: Megan Mears [
Sent: Monday, 19 May 2014 4:13 PM
To: Geoffrey Dabb
Cc: COG Chatline
Subject: Re: FW: [canberrabirds] Do Gang-gangs spend their whole lives eating?
Thanks a lot Geoffrey for the information and cute cartoon and to the others who responded. I'm getting a better picture about GGs now. It probably would have helped to go to the COG talk about them. Sorry about that Geoffrey.
Here's a bit about what I have noticed about GGs in my area, which is Watson, close to Mt Majura.
Eucalypts are important. Obviously GGs feed in many exotics but it is always gum trees that they land in as they commute. Eucalypt corridors are important also. They seem to spend quite a bit of time in them, as they make their way off
the mountain in the morning.
I have twice been lucky enough to see co-flying with King Parrots. Once there was just one GG and it did not seem too happy about the process, but the KPs were insistent. I saw the flying again a few days later. Several GGs and KPs were
involved. They did many figure of eights around a couple of trees, and flew low. It was a beautiful spectacle.
Today I saw many King Parrots and two GGs arrive in some gum trees and suspected feeding. When I walked by a little later KPs were all over the clothesline of one house and several were feeding from a bin. I assume it contained bird seed.
I had a vision of King Parrots in Canberra becoming as dominant as Rainbow Lorikeets in northern NSW and SE Qld. I was also reminded of the link David Mc Donald sent not too long ago about feeding birds and the role of the bird feeding industry. Finally I
wondered how that household could dry clothes on the Hills Hoist!
That's about it for today.
On Sat, May 17, 2014 at 8:14 AM, Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:
From: Geoffrey
Dabb [
Sent: Friday, 16 May 2014 6:22 PM
To:
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] Do Gang-gangs spend their whole lives eating?
Megan - Gang-gangs usually draw attention to themselves when they are commuting, or actively feeding.
They are less conspicuous for the long periods they spend resting in trees, sometimes mutually preening, sometimes dozing, eyes wholly or partly closed, often giving a soft growling calling, itself quite noticeable when you know it. I suppose work has been
done somewhere on their time ‘budget’(sorry) … [I have plucked the following
at random. Counting that sort of thing seems to be a preoccupation of biologists these days.]
From: Megan
Mears
Sent: Friday, 16 May 2014 5:41 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Do Gang-gangs spend their whole lives eating?
Since I have been looking out for Gang-gangs, I'm not sure I have noticed them do much else. Occasional sitting and digesting I guess.
I'm interested in others' observations.
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