I am pleased to be able to report that the interaction between a juvenile Koel
and an adult male Koel behind my house in Nicholls this year confirms my
observations last year of the an adult male Koel purposefully interacting with
a juvenile Koel. The major difference this year is that the Koel breeding was
earlier and I suspect that this was due to the Wattlebirds breeding earlier
because of the good spring last year. The fruit on the plum and elderberry
trees in my backyard was not yet ripe when the juvenile first appeared,
recognisable by its loud ‘cheeping’, but another consequence of the early
spring rain was that ornamental prunus tress in other people’s yards were
fruiting early and plentifully. The juvenile Koel ate the fruit on the
ornamental trees a few doors down from me. The male Koel which had been
‘wirrawirraing’ behind our houses for months took up residence in the eucalypts
behind the house with the ornamental plums. I was unable to creep up on the
juvenile and so whenever I approached it, it flew to the tree where the male
was. This week my elderberries and plums have started to ripen. The ornamental
plums have virtually finished so now the juvenile Koel is eating my
elderberries. The male has moved to a Eucalypt behind my house in order to keep
close contact and the juvenile flies there when disturbed.
This environment behind Kangaroo Close along Ginninderra Creek has obviously
become a desirable Koel habitat. There is plenty of cover along the creek or
over the creek on Percival Hill while there is ample fruit hanging over
people’s back fences. An important theory is that the male Koel connect with
the juveniles to eventually guide them back north. Of course I cannot prove
that this is the same male as last year but I do ask ‘Why not?'
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