Recent posts about White-winged Choughs at Kippax Fair from Chris, Alison and Richard lead me to reflect that, over the years, I’ve noticed them regularly as they swagger
about Kippax seemingly oblivious to pedestrian traffic. They appear to be one of those species that to has become quite partial to the urban habitat and its synonymous fast food. Discarded cheese burgers, in fact cheese in any form, together with French fries,
seem de rigueur to the urbane, epicurean choughs of West Belconnen.
Recently, while sitting in my car outside the old medical centre behind Kippax Fair, I noticed a dropped paper cup of
Coca-Cola the contents of which had pooled around the base of a parking sign. While a dozen choughs sashayed past, three left the flock and stood shoulder to shoulder imbibing in the product that made Atlanta, Georgia famous. They appeared to revel in
their syrupy serendipity while immersing bills, throwing heads back and gulping as most birds do when drinking, unless, of course, they are pigeons or doves.
I await with bated breath for the reaction from management and patrons when a platoon or so of choughs invades the Kippax mall along with the usual rafts of springtime
floss from nearby cottonwood trees.
John Layton
Holt.
