V interesting story!
Sz
From: Denise Kay [
Sent: Sunday, 22 September 2019 5:22 PM
To: John Layton <>
Cc: Canberra Birds <>
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] White-winged Choughs
They are fascinating birds and mincing is a perfect description.
I once witnesses a war at the ANU between rival gangs . I just happened to be underneath a bare tree on University Avenue observing an industrious nest making gang when from the West side of AD Hope a marauding gang attacked the nesting
gang. A terrible fight ensured , a pair of birds fell at my feet at one stage , beak on beak, feet on feet . The fracas when on for at least 5 minutes and once the new nest had been demolished the marauders returned to the other side f AD Hope .
Quite a spectacle for all observers and it attracted a few.
I raised an “orphan” last year and the resident Giralang flock adopted it , it took a couple of encounters but I think it worked , well I was unable to catch him once he merged into the flock and they were very attentive ( which could mean
anything form you're ok or we are going to kill you ….) but I think it worked .
On 22 Sep 2019, at 1:37 pm, John Layton <> wrote:
At 08:00 today five White-winged Choughs came mincing down the steps from the entrance to the ACT Public Library at Kippax. School kids often loiter on the landing there eating fast food, so dropped scraps may have been the attractant as
I’ve sometimes witnessed choughs eating abandoned French fries, pizza and other takeaway jetsam. As the choughs reached the footpath three more materialised from near the base of the building to join them, and all set off in what resembled a ragged skirmish
line. I encounter groups ranging from four to around 12 every three months or so in the local area.
