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I'm with Noel on this, though I've not come across it before for Grey Currawong. Several grey birds - including the B-f Cuckoo-shrike as noted earlier, some woodswallows and a noddy/ternlet - attracted the 'blue' epithet in earlier
times (at least some of which are still used). I can't suggest why, except that we often interpret colours differently from someone else.
Ian Fraser
On 20/12/2023 11:46 am, Noel Luff via Canberrabirds wrote:
How about Grey Currawong - description of eggs and eyes match.
On Wed, Dec 20, 2023 at 10:43 AM Philip Veerman <> wrote:
The idea of it being ravens and crows is odd to me, apart from that it doesn’t really match the minimal description, there is the aspect of the word. The names
crow and raven are very old, well known names. Surely if the person was referring to ravens and crows (of which locally we only have Australian Raven and Little Raven), they would know to use the name raven or crow. They do after all use other names we can
pick. This consideration does not apply to the other suggestions made whose names are not so well known.
I suspect that the birds could also be a combination of Satin Bowerbird and currawongs. As in the person has seen these things at different times and distances
and combined features in their head as though it is the same thing. They would not have had binoculars or cameras. To mentally put the currawong’s yellow eyes with the bowerbird.
Or someone legitimately sent in some sensible writings and the person editing it into the newspaper, left out some words, to create a mismatch of text. Is
this “blue magpie” actually mentioned as a pest, or is the link to “pest” created separately?
The vague description could equally (awkwardly) fit Noisy Miner and Collared Sparrowhawk.
Philip
From: N F [
Sent: Tuesday, 19 December, 2023 10:42 PM
To: Michael Lenz; Philip Veerman
Cc: Canberra birds
Subject: RE: [Canberrabirds] Pest species, 1870s
Hi there
I examined ravens and crows as an option. Certainly the behaviors of seeking easy food and boldly going is consistent with their current nature. In my view they are blue and have the bright eye, I don’t have a definite
on the eggs. They are not currently described as smaller than existing magpies so not sure on that matter.
Cheer
Nik F
From:
Sent: Tuesday, 19 December 2023 10:06 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Pest species, 1870s
Just a comment.
It is only a fairly recent development that Pied Currawongs reside in Canberra, in 1870 (and long after that) they were a species of the mountain ranges. They would have come to lower altitudes only in late autumn/winter, and not at a time
when late cherries and apricots were ripe. Also their eggs are certainly not white.
How about flocks of Little Ravens as the culprits? Certainly "blueish" and yellow eyes.
On Tue, 19 Dec 2023 at 21:35, Philip Veerman <> wrote:
At the BA campout in 2004, I recall someone scribing for the bird list at the campout recorded “Houstledbird” in the list. It turned out to be their impression
of Apostlebird. Pied Currawong does not match the mention of being smaller than the others.
I am wondering could they be Grey-crowned Babblers.
From: Canberrabirds [
On Behalf Of Chris Davey
Sent: Tuesday, 19 December, 2023 8:59 PM
To: 'Terry Munro'; 'Steve Read'
Cc: Canberra birds
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Pest species, 1870s
Hardly a pest species but Sue Lashko and i ran a bird survey the other day at Ginninderry with a young ranger scribing. Written was ‘Dark Fairies’ which had us both confused. Turned out to be Superb Fairy-wren!
Chris
From: Canberrabirds [
On Behalf Of Terry Munro via Canberrabirds
Sent: Tuesday, 19 December 2023 8:18 PM
To: Steve Read
Cc: Canberrabirds list
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Pest species, 1870s
I have heard all those names except Blue Magpie & I think you’re probably right that the Blue Magpie is the Pied Currawong. Back in those days Currawongs migrated out of Canberra during the summer months to the mountains. They used to gather
in huge flocks around September & disappear in a few days & reappear around April
On Tue, 19 Dec 2023 at 7:30 pm, Steve Read via Canberrabirds <> wrote:
David
I can’t imagine the horticultural efforts of bush orchardists not attracting attention from currawongs.
Pied Currawong look and sound like magpies, their eggs could vaguely be called ‘white with pink blotches’ (am no expert there), and most importantly to me they have that distinctive yellow eye. And if Black-faced Cuckooshrike can be called
‘blue’, then so can currawongs (although Grey Currawong perhaps more so than Pied Currawong, but I think voice alone rules out Grey Currawong - perhaps the two types of currawong hadn’t been distinguished fully in the 1870s?). All we have to accept is that
‘smaller’ is an error for ‘larger’, and Pied Currawong is a candidate.
Any better idea?
Regards
Steve
From: Canberrabirds <>
On Behalf Of David McDonald (Personal)
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2023 6:24 PM
To: Canberrabirds list <>
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Pest species, 1870s
Samuel Shumack came to Canberra with his family at the age of six, in 1856. He farmed at Weetangerra until 1915 when his property was resumed by the Commonwealth. He then moved to the Hunter Valley, and died in 1940. Here is a quotation
from a book, compiled from his voluminous writings by his descendants: Shumack, S 1967,
An autobiography, or, Tales and legends of Canberra pioneers, Australian National University Press, Canberra:
Towards the close of the seventh decade [of the 1800s] many pests made their appearance and began to annoy the farmers on the Canberra plain. The Native Companion caused great destruction, and the havoc wrought
by the opossum on grain and fruit was incredible … The Native Companion was also a bad pest and was hard to shoot as the feathers were believed to be shot-proof except from behind. Tom Williams fired a rifle shot into a mob of about eighty on his father’s
paddock at the Canberra post office and succeeded in killing only one. The blue jay, blue magpie, leather head, the white cockatoo and about a dozen of the parrot family were also pests to the bush orchardists. On one occasion I shot more than 500, but they
came on in greater numbers than before. The same thing took place at Duntroon. Mr E C Campbell shop more than eighty before breakfast, Andy declared that when he went out at 10 a.m. twenty in addition to everyone shot had come to the funeral of their mates.
He discontinued shooting and employed men to cover the trees with wire netting and thus saved the late cherry and apricots crops (p. 152).
Bird names: Native Companion: Brolga; blue jay: Black-faced Cuckooshrike; leather head: Noisy Friarbird. But what is a blue magpie? Trove has a number of mentions of a type of fancy pigeon by this name, and of the various Blue Magpie species
of the northern hemisphere. And there is this report, referring specially to Australian ‘magpies’. After discussing the black-backed and white-backed races, the author (probably a youngster) wrote:
There Is, however, the other species of magpie, which is entirely different. I refer to the blue magpie. This bird, which is smaller than the others, is a dark blue, with yellow eyes, quite different from the black
eye of the others. The note differs slightly, and the egg Is white, with pink blotches.
Source: "Magpies" The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic.) 3 August 1926: S2 (Supplement to "Sun News-Pictorial.").
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article274811759.
Fraser & Gray don’t mention blue magpies, nor does the Australian National Dictionary 2e.
Any suggestions as to the identity of Canberra’s blue magpies, a farmers’ pest in the 1870s?
David
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Mobile: 0416 231 890 | Tel: (02) 6238 3706
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