We were having a major cleanup in our back paddock today. We've had tons of arum lilies taking over due to all the constant rain we've had for probably the last 15 months. So we needed to dig a lot of them up. Friends of ours were over helping us and they discovered this nest in the lily patch they were digging up so put the nest back as it had been disloged and left the patch. No birds were in sight, so hoping the parents will come back now we've left that portion of the yard.
Does anyone know what they might belong to? They were small, the nest is probably no more than 10cm in diameter. They were a blue-green colour. Now I know the nest is there I'll be watching for any possible changes, hopefully without disturbing the parents.
Hi Kathie, do you have Blackbirds in your garden?
Jackie
Well done Jackie , I was thinking down that line to.starling and Indian miners also have that blue - ish colour the old blackbird love to be close to ground as well .
See it! Hear it!
Mid-North Coast NSW
Yes, we have quite a few blackbirds. I'll keep a watch (at a distance) to see if the eggs are being looked after. Will be a shame if they're not anymore but we just didn't know they were there and didn't even think that a bird would build a nest in a clumb of arum lillies. I'll know to check all others now before we remove anymore.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
I'd say a black bird. The fact that the nest is in a feral plant patch is an indication that it was made by a feral bird. If it is a black bird's nest I'd get rid of it to make ecological space for native birds (e.g., the Bassian thrush which occupies the same ecological niche as the black bird but doesn't compete well with it) but that's only because I place a higher value on native birds than on feral birds.
Got a partial photo of the mum. She's been sitting on them. Think it is a blackbird but I don't want to get too close and disturb her. Heavily cropped too. I haven't gotten rid of them Woko, didn't have the heart to do that. Can't say I've seen any Bassian Thrushes here but that could be because of the blackbirds or perhaps they just don't hang around here. But I am coming across 'new' birds quite often, as time passes and we're here longer I'm more aware of our environment and who or what lives in it with us.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
I have a blackbird sitting on a nest in our bike shed. She built it on top of our whipper snipper (!!) while we were away on holidays for 3 weeks, and there are now 3 hatchlings in it.
Normally I destroy the nests of common mynas, starlings ect..even if they have eggs...but I did not have the heart to kill hatchlings..even though I know they are feral. My kids would be devastated.
It's always a difficult one when you have a soft spot for all forms of life. My farmer uncle had no hesitation in killing rabbits & foxes because they cost him money. But he cried like a baby when he had to humanely destroy his dog after it badly broke its leg. Different circumstances evoked different responses.
My own attitude towards feral birds was largely formed, I'm sure, by being with a group of bird banders & finding a starling caught in a mist net. One of the banders had no hesitation in wringing the creature's neck because he placed such a high value on the survival of Australian bird species & was aware of the risk to Australian birdlife from starlings.
With my revegetation project I've had to destroy rabbits lest they destroy the habitat I'm trying to restore. It's a question of values. Eventually, the task of destroying rabbits became part of the revegetation project & I became desensitised to killing rabbits.
Perhaps a lot of people would say that I'm a heartless monster who should be on trial at The Hague. However, feral animal destruction is an essential part of conserving our fast-disappearing wildlife, especially given the number of pests that humans have introduced, usually wilfully, to Australia. Who among us would hesitate to kill a cane toad? It's much easier, especially the first time, when we're dealing with a creature we consider to be uncute. Maybe we need to tackle our cuteness obsession & focus on the prevention of extinction which is surely the most cruel act of all.
well said
it is a matter of determining your priorities and acting accordingly
Peter
It ironic, isn't it...I've mercilessly clubbed cane toads (several hundred) and shot rabbits and foxes (several dozen)...but baby birds...I'm weak!
I have, however, stopped my habit of throwing crusts out for the birds..because I know it just encourages sparrows, starlings and mynas.
I should have added that before we manage/destroy feral species we need to be sure we know what's about to be managed/destroyed. This puts a responsibility on the manager/destroyer to be well-informed about feral species & able to identify them. Given the similarity between some native and feral species, especially plants, it would be dreadful if there was a case of mistaken identity & a native species was sent into extinction because it was the last of its genus left. In other words if you can't identify it with a high degree of confidence leave it be until a confident identification can be made.
Update. One of the eggs hatched, one disappeared and there was one remaining a few days ago. The pink little thing with no feathers had its eyes closed and moved around. Mum must have flown off for a short time. The following day when I came to look the nest was empty. I have no idea if a predator came along or what happened. Nothing on the ground and nowhere in sight.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Probably taken by a currawong or similar. Normally they hide their nests better.
The idea of killing off "pest" species is a compex one. Who are you to say that this destructive action will improve the environment? Then there is the buddhist notion of karma - killing a blackbird egg is surely bad karma, it will not improve you as a person. It is arguable that that sort of action makes you a worse person.
On the other hand it has been seen that on some occasions killing exotic pests has improved the environment, a good example on macquarie island recently. But only when this has been a co-ordinated program. All the cane toads squashed over the years, hasn't improved the environment one iota. Similarly killing one nest of blackbirds won't help either, as seen in this instance. The birds died anyway, and kathie avoided all that bad karma. Some people feel better for killing exotic pests, I'm not one of them.
Yes, could have been. The nest was well hidden but it was because we were removing masses of lilies that were growing like weeds in our paddock that we came across the nest. We left the nest where it was and didn't remove those lilies and it was still reasonably hidden but not as well as before.
I couldn't bring myself to kill them at all. The closet I come to killing anything are snails in my vege garden (grrrrr) and mossies when they dare to bite me.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
I'm not sure that I feel better for having killed exotic pests (now there's a tautology!) either, GregL. Perhaps I might feel a degree of satisfaction that it's removing a competitor for resources such as food & nesting places but I tend to agree that it doesn't make a huge difference to the environment. E.g., I can't say that my removal of black bird nests has seen the return of the Bassian thrush to my area. However, I'm confident that when there's a wildlife corridor of sufficient quality to my place from an area where there are Bassian thrushes then the environment at my place will be in better condition to receive any new arrivals. When the new arrivals arrive is when I'll get really good feelings of excitement & satisfaction. Essentially, for me it's a question of doing what I can for Australia's wildlife however little that might be or how long-term the results of my actions might be.
I note, Kathiemt, that you seem to have felt comfortable about removing pest lillies but not about removing pest black birds. Can you say why there's a difference?
Something to do with the difference between plants and birdlife.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Could be, could be, kathiemt. Perhaps sentient creatures evoke more sympathy in us.
I do some volunteer work for a Wildlife Rescue Organisation. Last week was called to rescue a hatchling which had fallen from the nest, the plan was to take it to a vet for assessment and rehabilitation, for later release. When I got there it was a Starling. Under our guidelines, we are not aloud to save these feral species, and it must be humanely euthanised. This is a direction from Parks and Wildlife in Tasmania. Feeling is that it is a waste of resources, which would be better used on a native. Generally I don't like to harm either, but Starlings, Black Birds and even cute little bunny rabbits put unwanted pressure on our native species, and NEED TO GO. On the positive side, have helped a Southern Boobook, a Little Black Cormorant and a Kelp Gull, all of which have been successfully returned to the wild. Planning on posting some photos, if I am lucky enough (or unlucky) to have to rescue more birds.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
That would be hard Dale, having to make decisions like that. But good to hear about the positive things you've been able to do. We'd love to see pics when the opportunity arises.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
very well put Woko. We see the indian mynas 'kick out' the rosellas in our nesting box every year! We are compelled to eradicate the mynahs- thus saving the lives of the rosellas- and have found a way of doing so quickly, a def win to our natives n theiryoung :)
Minimich
And well done, minimich. Nice to see the native species having a win - with a little help from their friends.
We have tried trapping the Common / Indian Mynahs - we caught a couple, but now they've learned, and either avoid our house altogether, or just sit on the fence ignoring the tasty food in the trap.
I understand why it is the way it is, but at the same time, they aren't conscious of the fact that they're a pest, or feral, or bad. They just do what they do to survive, in the same way that every other living creature does what it can to survive. Do we judge cuckoos for being cuckoos, and doing the cuckoo thing at the expense of other species?
Just my philosophical idea.
I bring you back to the idea that it depends on our values. If we place a higher value on native wildlife than we do on introduced pests then we'll act, in whatever way we can, to ensure the survival of native species. By not acting we are, by default, placing a higher value on the introduced pests. If we go down this track there's no point in claiming from our rocking chairs that it's a long while since we saw a regent bower bird, rainbow bee eater or crimson rosella. It's only a matter of judgement when considered within the context of on what we place a higher value. It's certainly not a question of blame.