Late yesterday afternoon, the whole drama of survival took place before my
eyes. While talking on the telephone on our back deck, I witnessed a Grey
Butcherbird chasing a Noisy Miner across the yard. They were closely
followed by two more Miners. I am not sure of exactly what happened next.
It all happened so quickly. Either the Butcherbird struck down its prey in
full flight or the Miner hit the fence in its efforts to avoid the
aggressor. Whatever happened, the result was the same. One Noisy Miner
lying on the ground, kicking and calling while the Butcherbird proceeded to
tear it to pieces. The other two Miners sat on the fence calling but made
no attempt to chase the Butcherbird.
As the Butcherbird continued with his meal, the calling gradually died down
and the and eventually the victim stopped moving and the other two birds
flew away. The pieces that the Butcherbird tore from the carcass grew
larger until he flew off leaving the remains lying in the back yard.
The whole scene reminded me of something I had witnessed recently but it
eluded me for some time. Then it all came back to me - Parliamentary
Question Time.
Terry Pacey
27°57'02"S 153°24'12"E
Gold Coast
SE Qld
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