A strange thing happened here yesterday. At breakfast time, the garden was
practically devoid of small birds. There were still birds on the creek, and
some interesting flyovers, but the activity around the bird baths and in the
vegetation was close to nil. Maybe 10 to 15 or more regular species that
usually show themselves during our drawn-out breakfast time were absent.
At the same time, we had a continual loud mixed cicada chorus from not long
after sun-up, which was kept up with variations right through the day. That
was as unusual here as was the absence of birds.
Are these related phenomena?
It has happened again this-morning. The overwhelming sound to be heard from
the verandahs is of cicadas, and the bird activity has again been very much
lower than normal.
Happily, we've just had a visit from our now daily Red-tailed Black
Cockatoos, as well as several Cockatiel. A male Collared Sparrowhawk which
dropped onto an exposed branch on a small tree just across from us, perhaps
assessed, like us, that there was really nothing much about today and headed
off for better pickings elsewhere.
I've got anecdotal memories of noisy cicada days coinciding with poor forest
birding, but I've never seen any account of whether this is consistently the
case, or why.
I've often wondered if Cicadabirds benefit from sounding like cicadas -
which do seem to form a significant part of their diet. But do these
cacophonous cicada choruses actually protect the insects from birds, maybe
by driving the birds away?
Please, someone who knows about these things - enlighten me. I know I don't
like it, but if I can understand it I might be able to put up with it with
better grace.
Bill Jolly
"Abberton",
Lockyer Valley, Queensland.
Visit our website at http://www.abberton.org
Email:
Ph: (+61) 7 4697 6111 Fax: (+61) 7 4697 6056
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