FW: Koel breeding event??

[Alan Ford <>]

This is the bird in my back yard half an hour ago.

 

It is still calling.

 

It was visited by an RWB at one point.

 

During this time I heard an adult koel calling two-three times from the normal spot in  the Curtin-Lyons woodland.

 

Alan

 

From: Canberrabirds [ On Behalf Of Alan Ford
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2021 1:42 PM
To: ;
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] FW: Koel breeding event??

 

I had a juvenile Koel in my backyard the other day attended by an RWB . The begging call  was still heard this morning one house away.

 

Alan

 

From: Canberrabirds [ On Behalf Of
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2021 12:51 PM
To:
Subject: [Canberrabirds] FW: Koel breeding event??

 

Not surprisingly I love that begging call, at least for the first few times.

 

I had a very soft call (even for the newly fledged Red Wattlebird I thought it was) near my back door last evening, and was surprised that it was a very clearly marked Koel fledgling with a long tail but still very golden crown that flew well (over 20 m).  I suspect it is relatively advanced and is losing its begging call, even though it is still being attended by RWBs.  There were similar observations this morning. 

 

No 44 this season that I’m aware of, there’s been a bit of a flurry of reports in the past few days.

 

Jack Holland

 

From: Anthony Overs <>
Sent: Friday, 22 January 2021 9:05 AM
To:
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Koel breeding event??

 

And now it’s possibly the most annoying call I’ve ever heard!! 

 

On 18 Jan 2021, at 11:51 am, Anthony Overs <> wrote:



Hi Jack

 

Juvenile koel begging in my street. Doesn’t appear to be well attended when it’s here at my house. I suspect it belongs to wattlebirds about 200 m up the street. It certainly doesn’t belong to ‘my’ wattlebirds. Will keep an eye and ear on it.

 

Anthony 

 

Mataranka St

Hawker

 

On 18 Jan 2021, at 11:32 am, wrote:



Many thanks David, I expect you did witness a relatively advanced Koel fledgling being fed.  If you were 250 m away it is likely you wouldn’t have been able to hear it begging – even the loudest Koel fledglings I’ve had were only audible from about 150 m away.

 

I had a similar experience with my single fledgling last week about a fortnight after it was first found as a pretty mobile one, it was pursued across the street by 2 Red Wattlebirds (there are lots around in my local area this season), one of which was cm from its tail.  When they moved away it sat there begging loudly in a very exposed position, as older ones often do.

 

Regards

 

Jack Holland   

 

From: Dr David Rosalky <>
Sent: Monday, 18 January 2021 9:54 AM
To: COG bird list <>
Cc: 'Jack and Andrea Holland' <>
Subject: Koel breeding event??

 

This morning (18 Jan) I heard an unfamiliar noise and scanned the area it came from (it was visible from my place but took place in Empire Circuit Deakin).  I saw a Red Wattlebird flying into a tree and seemingly foraging.  But then a long brown bird landed in a nearby tree.  Clearly a Koel, but a female or a juvenile?  The call was not the common Keek call of a female and may have been a begging call.  As if to answer my question, the RWB landed beside the Koel.  I did not actually witness the transfer of food and no audible sound was heard (I was about 250m from the event), but I assumed that it was a feeding of a dependent bird.

 

Then the Koel shifted to an adjacent tree and suddenly three RWBs came out of left field (well, actually, right field) and chased the Koel away.

 

So, I don’t know whether it was a feeding event or not.  If not, what was the first RWB doing cosying up to the Koel with no apparent agonistic responses?  It is possible, I suppose, that the bird was dependent; the first RWB was a foster parent; and the others just didn’t like a Koel around even if being fed by a congener.

 

As to ID, the bird was quite a long way away and against the morning sun.  I could not discern plumage detail except to note that the sunshine passing through the bird’s tail was very golden possibly indicating the lighter colouring of the juvenile relative to the adult female.

 

My guess is that it was a feeding event.  Koels have been fairly active around here this season, but the only breeding interaction I have seen was on one day some weeks ago when a male and female performed noisy chases.

 

David Rosalky

 

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