Good morning COG/Canberra Birds members and chat line subscribers, a reminder that the monthly COG/Canberra Birds meeting will be held tomorrow evening Wednesday 8 October from
7:30 pm at the Canberra Girls Grammar School.
Please note that we will again be meeting in the Chapel while the Multi-media Theatre (MMT) is being renovated. The amended map showing the new arrangements can
be accessed through the following link
Canberra Birds monthly meeting location - Canberra Birds.
Details are below. Everyone is welcome so please come along to hear two different but very interesting presentations.
In addition, Simon Copland, Executive Director of the Conservation Council ACT Region, will give a short informal presentation introducing the Council’s Saving the Western Edge
Campaign.
There will be the usual raffle, and you will also be able to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee after the meeting.
Jack Holland
The October 2025 meeting will be a normal face-to-face one at the Canberra Girls Grammar School but will again be held in the Chapel where we will be meeting for the rest
of 2025 while the Multi-media Theatre (MMT) is being renovated (see details below).
Kushini Kalupahana – Mimicry under pressure: Investigating accuracy variations in the vocal mimicry of Brown Thornbills
Russell McGregor -
Enchantment by Birds: Writing the history of birdwatching in Australia
The Chapel is much easier to find than the MMT. As for previous 2025 meetings entry and exit for the Chapel are from the main gates on Melbourne Ave, which automatically
open and close. The Entry gate will be open, so please drive through and park in the main parking area to your left. Once parked proceed to the Chapel using main path as previously before turning left at the Admin Hub, or use the more direct (but darker)
route keeping the Boarding House to your left – see the amended map to that provided by the Canberra Girls Grammar School which can be accessed on
Canberra Birds monthly meeting location - Canberra Birds.
Limited parking will also be available using the Chapel Drive entrance on Gawler Cres and car park, this gate should also be open.
Though it is well lit, as it will be dark after the meeting, a torch for finding your way to the Chapel and back to your car is recommended. The Exit gate is on a sensor
pad, so please drive up to the gate and it will open for you.
As COVID is still widespread in the community attendees should heed social distancing and good hygiene practice etc, and use their common sense and stay home if they have
COVID symptoms. Mask wearing is recommended.
The short presentation will be by Kushini Kalupahana, a Ph D student at the Research School of Biology at the ANU,
on “Mimicry under pressure: Investigating accuracy variations in the vocal mimicry of Brown Thornbills.”
The Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla), an Australian songbird weighing just 7 grams, employs a remarkable survival strategy: mimicking the alarm calls of various sympatric
species to deter nest predators. Apart from their species-specific vocalizations, Brown Thornbills "impersonate" species up to 20 times their size when under threat. However, our research has revealed that these tiny mimics face significant anatomical constraints
- they accurately replicate calls from similar-sized species but struggle with the lower-frequency alarm calls of larger models. We've also found striking sexual dimorphism in mimetic abilities, with smaller females proving to be weaker mimics than their
larger male counterparts. These accuracy limitations undoubtedly impact predator deterrence effectiveness, a consequence we're now investigating through playback experiments with nest predators. Understanding how small birds overcome - or fail to overcome
- size limitations through vocal deception reveals important insights into predator-prey dynamics and evolutionary mechanisms driving acoustic adaptations in songbirds.
The main presentation will be by Russell McGregor,
Adjunct Professor of History, James Cook University, entitled “Enchantment by Birds: Writing the history of birdwatching in Australia”
In this talk, Russell will explain how and why he came to write his latest book,
Enchantment by Birds: A history of birdwatching in 22 species. It’s the first book ever published on the history of birdwatching in Australia, and the first history book anywhere to be structured around birds. He
will explain why he structured it this way, why he chose those 22 species, and how the history of birding can deepen our appreciation of nature. He will show, too, that this is a book not only for birders; it’s for nature lovers of every stripe. Birds have
a special magic, carrying us into the world of nature more colourfully, more melodiously and more ethereally than any other creature. But their magic captivates all nature lovers, not only those who dangle binoculars around their necks. Enchantment by birds
is open to us all.
Russell McGregor has been a birdwatcher since childhood and an historian for over 40 years, so he’s perfectly positioned to write a book on the history of birdwatching. His
latest book, Enchantment by Birds: A history of birdwatching in 22 species, is available from the publisher, Scribe,
https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/enchantment-by-birds-9781761381447 and from all good bookshops. Readers might also be interested to read an in-depth review of this book by Kevin Windle in Canberra Bird Notes 49 (2) 146-148 (2024).
