Sleeping birds

[Nathanael Coyne <>]

I usually walk my dog late at night and it's interesting to see where non-brooding birds sleep as at least in my suburb of Macquarie they seem to be very selective in terms of location and species of tree.

Red Wattlebirds exclusively sleep in elm trees in a stormwater / alley / cycleway between 1-3 metres above ground. They rarely stir unless you get real close.

Magpies don't seem to mind streetlights, are almost always in eucalyptus (which usually means Brittle Gum) ... and it seems they perch in precisely the same spot every night judging by the accumulation of bird droppings on the ground. They'll usually wake and see you before you see them and sometimes fly away even if they're 8 metres above you.

Crested Pigeons like to sleep in pairs in Melaleuca (linariifolia?)

Masked Lapings ... well I don't know, they don't seem to go to bed till after midnight.

Nathanael Coyne (Boehm)

www.purecaffeine.com

Canberra, Australia
0431 698 580