those 2 species come here together too
Sz
From:
Baird, Ian [
Sent: Monday, 19 May 2014 4:27 PM
To: Megan Mears
Cc:
Subject: [canberrabirds]
Gang-gangs and Australian King-parrots
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This email, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If
you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all
copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should
not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other
person.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
