Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some advice, but I'm not sure that anything can be done. For the last few weeks I've watched a pair of Magpie-larks build a nest in the tree outside my bedroom window. As far as I can tell they've managed to hatch at least one egg.
This morning I can hear Koel calling and I'm wondering if there's anything at all I can do to keep it away from the Pee Wees.
I don't think the Common Koel will bother with a small nest such as that of the Magpie Lark, also the Common Koel's are generally known to avoid humans or human habitat (houses).
I support Raven's comments. Besides, there's always a risk that human interference will upset a natural process.
Thank you both. It was here on BIBY that I read they take over Magpie-lark nests, and wondered about the size. I'm glad you both think it's unlikely.
Bramble, it's important to keep in mind that the Common or Eastern Koel does parasitise smaller birds by laying eggs in their nests so it's possible the Koel in your area is interested in the Magpie Lark nest. However, this is one of nature's wonderful processes that needs as little human interference as possible.
Well, sadly we just watched a Currawong take a chick out of the nest. :(
I'll be interested to learn if the Currawong returns to take another chick, Bramble. Would you mind continuing your observations & reporting back?
I'm happy to, Woko.
We have been expecting the Currawong to come back as the nest is quite obvious, and taking the chick was so quick and easy. But as of this afternoon there are still two chicks in the nest.
There was a commotion this morning and I saw a large grey bird in the tree but I didn't get a good enough look to identify it. It took off so quickly I assumed that it had taken a chick as well, but it seems not.
Thanks, Bramble. I'm wondering if the Currawong is instinctive enough to leave some nestlings so that there will be survivors to continue producing youngsters for it to eat in the future.
That's a great point. I'm always amazed at birds' instincts.
There's one chick left now. We found a dead one on the ground under the tree on Wednesday afternoon. It seemed to be far smaller than the one that is still in the nest so we assumed it starved and that the adult birds then threw it out of the nest.
We've had a few wild storms here this week and we're actually surprised that the birds and the nest have made it through them.
I'm wondering if the Koel ejected the nestling.
It could have. The remaining chick has been sitting on the branch today which is very exciting.
Theres a magpie lark/Pee Wee feeding its chick out of the wildbird seed mix Ive put out on my balcony,Ive mixed some rice and rolled oats in as well I suspect its the rolled oats that are being fed to the chick who sits on the balcony rail screaming like a Banchee to be fed while the parent Pee Wee goes back and forth getting a sip of water then a few pecks of seed to feed it with.Rolled oats are very popular with the doves and Pee Wees when nesting,I thought the Pee Wees were building their nest with the oats because they are insectivours but apparently not? They must be omnivours when they are young at least? This Pee Wee showed some intelligence a few weeks ago by gifting me bugs beetles and worms dropping them in the water container and making a racket when I stopped putting out the oats for a few days, then when I started the oats again the ""gifts"" stopped and it was back to normal. I used to have a small gold mining camp out in the semi desert of WA. I lived there for about 15 years with my dog and had a bore put down so there was plenty of water around for the wildlife,the birds like Pee Wees and Willy Wagtails would nest in the small trees around the camp and I would be run off my feet sometimes chasing racehorse goannas away from their nests.I could be a few miles away and the birds would come and start putting on a performance and Id know straight away what was happening,because when I got back to camp both parent birds would be attacking the goanna trying to climb the tree to get the eggs or chicks.I had a straw broom especially to fight them off with.There was a pair of wedgetail eagles that used to visit, one was friendly and would play with the dog (at first I thought the eagle wanted to eat the dog)The other one was stand offish and would perch on my antenna and glare at me. One day he was hit by a truck windscreen and the trucky contacted the big mine about 10ks away to let me know about it,I caught the eagle and the mine enviroment guy flew him to Perth to fix him up at the vets,he had concussion and bad bruising and couldnt stay in the air for long,I never got a vets report, probably because native birds are treated for free. Anyway after all that when he was returned, released and perched back on my antenna again, he would still glare at me! Isnt nature wonderful?
Good to hear that the Wedgie recovered - could've been a very sad ending. About the goanna's - do you not think it is best to let nature take it's course? If you stopped birds eating insects because you didn't want the insects to die, how would the bird survive? It's the same with the goanna - you can't stop it from doing what has evolved to do over many thousands of years. It must eat to survive, and if it eats birds, so be it. If it doen't eat your birds, it will just go somewhere else and eat birds. All your doing is making it harder for the goanna to survive.
Now don't get the wrong idea - I'm not attacking you, Ross! Just putting it out there that sometimes it's better to let things continue on it's natural course.
Your right there,your not attacking me, your patronising me as though Im child. I mentioned in my last post that I spent 15 years out there in the bush with my dog and nature as companions,its called reading between the lines and goes without saying! My post was already a long one and I suppose I should have included that the main offending goanna was the infamous Lenny the lizard! He was a baby goanna that had been run over on the road and had a crushed tail,broken jaw and cut up fairly badly,so instead of putting him out of his misery I nursed him back to health with betadine on his wounds and hand fed him mince with magpie calcium powder mix.I set his jaw back straight too.He grew up pretty quick and dug a hole for his home under the roots of a tree at my front door.He would go out hunting each day and come home at dusk even though there was usually a roadkill kangaroo carcase for him to eat.The road was about 3 kms away and a pool of water would be there for a long time after it rained,(roos would gather there to drink) when the road trains would come past in the early hours of the morning they would sound their horns once to scare the roos off the road and twice if they hit any,so if I heard a double horn sound I would get on the CB and ask the trucky how many he hit etc... then Id go and clear them off the road,shoot the ones that were mangled and still alive (I hated doing that but it is better than the alternative) and I would take one back for the dog,wedgies and goanna.Lenny turned out to be really big and a real nuisance sometimes;eg raiding the fridge (he could open the door) and raiding the belongings of people that camp in the area prospecting for gold during the holidays
I'm very sorry that I came across that way, I must've misunderstood. But I am not looking for an argument here and I'm sure you aren't either.
Anyway that's a good story - shows caring for wildlife is worth it. Good on you
That's hilarious that the Pee Wee started bringing you gifts! Funny little thing. I've actually been a bit like you, run off my feet. The Pee Wees really do let the world know when there's something around. One of the neighbours cats was up the tree the nest is in at three o'clock one morning. Thankfully that was the only time we were on night duty to scare the rotten thing away.