G'day
After a year living at Botany in Sydney's south east, I saw my first grey
butcherbird in the yard last week. It's a juvenile and it's been there just
about every day since. (I saw it butchering a small mouse in the banksia
this morning. It must have pierced the mouse's neck on a small branch
because the mouse was quite stable as it ripped off a rear leg and pulled
away at the flesh even though it appeared there was nothing holding it in
place.)
Being a juvenile, I suspect he may be staking out a territory. Does anyone
know the habits of these fellers? Have I got him/her for keeps?
Mark Whittaker
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian May
Sent: Monday, 29 March 2004 10:48
To:
Cc:
Subject: Re: Grey Butcherbirds around Melbourne.
g'Day all
Could it be that the local decline of Blue Wrens to which Michael refers
is a likely consequence of other factors rather than just the presence
of Grey Buthcherbirds. An alternative explanation for the recent
decline of Blue Wrens in some areas is the removal of shelter plants
such as blackberries and other similarly structured exotics that were
providing protection to small birds.
If the definition of a weed is an undesirable plant then perhaps when
considering the protection and conservation of birds, a weed may not
always be a weed when such a plant is growing in the right place.
Regards
Ian May
wrote:
> > Mike Carter wrote:
> >
> > One reason for their increase is naughty people like me who so enjoy
there presence, feed them in their backgarden!
> >
> I think naughty is the wrong word. Degrading might be better.
>
> Small skinks suffer enormously from butcherbird predation and I know
butcherbirds are associated with the disappearance of blue wrens.
>
> Thus in a heathland (not often visited by Noisy Miners etc to harass them)
the population has been reduced from about 20 to one, possibly itinerant,
female. This coincided with the arrival of Grey Butcherbirds.
>
> Similarly this summer, their breeding in a part of our foreshore bush was
accompanied by blue wrens practically disappearing from that area with none
of the signs of breeding, which was recorded around there for about 20
years.
>
> Please don't do it.
>
> Michael Norris
> Bayside Friends of Native Wildlife
>
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