From: Ian on 16/02/98 09:53
To:
cc:
Subject: Birds in the suburbs
Wood ducks are indeed common in Melbourne suburbs, but their habit of
perching on chimneys raises the possibility of a new thread: birds on
chimneys. I only raise this because I want to report an unusual sighting
of a few days ago. But first, our chimney is frequently used as a perch by
Little Ravens and Australian Magpies (not at the same time). Their calls
appear magnified by the chimney and we have "ducted" bird calls out of our
fireplace. Many visitors have been amazed at the acoustics of the
fireplace! During the months preceding the breeding season, Wood Ducks
also perch on the chimney and call while peering down. We have had an
Eastern Rosella enter the house via the fireplace. Other observations on
this theme may be of interest.
The unusual sighting was the first Wedge-tailed Eagle we have seen in our
area. It was a young bird, seen on three consecutive days (7-9 Feb), and
spent some hours perched in a large Candlebark Eucalyptus rubida in the
park next door. However, at one stage, my wife saw it perched on our
chimney. Unfortunately I was not at home at the time.
Cheers
Ian
=======================================
Ian Temby
Wildlife Damage Control Officer
Secretary/Treasurer, BIRDS Australia Parrot Association
Biodiversity Program
Department of Natural Resources and Environment
4/250 Victoria Parade
EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002
AUSTRALIA
Phone 613 9412 4429
Fax 613 9412 4586
E-mail
|