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Visitors to my Bird Bath

To: "birding-aus" <>
Subject: Visitors to my Bird Bath
From: "jan england" <>
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 19:59:01 +1000
In reply to Tony Russell's comments, I thought I would let people know what birds have been visiting my bird bath in suburban Brisbane since I returned home at the end of last year. 
 
The first visitors each day before breakfast are usually a Torresian Crow and/or a Pied Currawong.  They have a fairly quick dip before disappearing.  Then at about 7:45 am a family of Magpies come in.  There used to be 5 but the numbers have dwindled during the last couple of weeks.  (At one stage I had 10 together in my garden).  They really enjoy their bath fully immersing themselves by squatting right down and splashing vigorously before hopping up on to the fence and yodelling and then flying off to a nearby Poinciana Tree.  They seem to take it in turns with the adult male coming in first followed by the female and the 3 cheeky younger birds.  They often return for a second bath after about 5 minutes of preening.  They are obviously being feed by someone in the area as they are very tame and I even had one young bird walk into my lounge room from the patio.
 
Then about 8:30 the Noisy Miners arrive up to 5 or 6 at a time.  They make a song and dance of it calling in their friends and chattering away whilst dipping in and out quickly.  They may also come back for a second dip after sitting on the fence and preening.  Occasionally I see the Grey Butcherbird who has a few quick dips and then flies off and a Spotted Turtle-dove who tries to pretend its not really there and bathes quickly and quietly.
 
Unfortunately we do not have any small birds here now as the Body Corporate in their wisdom decided to cut down all the shrubs around my unit while I was away.  So the big guys reign!
 
Just as well I'm retired now so that I can watch the bath more closely and appreciate the various techniques used by different species. I find this the most interesting aspect.
 
Regards
 
Jan England
 
 
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