Yes, curious. I was not aware of that one. The question revolves around the “or”. The mention of names appears specific, however the “or” suggests the author
does not know which species it was. If that is the case, it may also have been something else. It may also suggest that apostle bird was regarded as another name for grey-crowned babbler (or maybe White-browed Babbler or Chough). They all have the habit of
living in very interactive groups, which is the basis of the apostle name.
Philip
From: David McDonald (personal) [
Sent: Thursday, 5 July, 2018 9:46 PM
To: Canberrabirds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Historical records: Apostlebird/Grey-crowned Babbler at Hall, ACT
Lyall Gillespie's wonderful 1992 book on the history of a part of the Canberra region,
Ginninderra, forerunner to Canberra: a history of the Ginninderra district (Canberra Local History Series, the author, Campbell, A.C.T.) includes a chapter on the impacts of settlement on the native wildlife. He mentions the Apostlebird and Grey-crowned
Babbler:
The grey-crowned babbler or apostle bird, which could be seen in significant numbers at the Village of Hall up to the 1930s, seems to have gone.
Steve Wilson's book mentions both species. He does not mention any babblers from Hall, but states, re the Apostlebird, that 'There is only one record from the ACT, that of Lamm and White (1950) who recorded that a flock of six was reported from Hall in the
summer of 1948' (p. 68).
Interesting - David
--
David McDonald
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