Hi All,
Honestly, I would have taken a photo if I could, but this one is difficult. I tried the Bird Finder on here, but nothing came up.
He's completely black, with yellow rings around his eyes, and a yellow beak - about the same length and size as a pigeon (the beak I mean). He would be about the same size as a noisy myna - and he scuttles across the lawn in short quick bursts, then dives his beak into the earth/sand in search of insects. He's a quiet bird, I haven't heard him call out (that I know of) - but just recently he has brough along with him either his girlfriend, or a fledgling - who is the colour of milk chocolate with no markings that I can see.
Can anyone help with this one? I will try to get a photo, but he moves quite quickly and is easily spooked! 
Take Care,
TrudyC
I would assume Common Blackbird from the description.
I agree with Nathan. The males are black with a dark yellow to orange eye ring & beak and the females similar but chocolatey brown. Did he look a little like this Trudy?
West Coast Tasmania
Thanks so much for the speedy responses Nathan and Annie. Yes Annie, I do believe that is him. He's quite a funny bird, usually keeps to himself. Sometimes I may toss out some bread for the birds here, and he'll scuttle out of no where, grab a piece and take off like a shot lol. But yes, only, I've never seen them with orange - only yellow.
Again - thank you both very much!
Take Care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch
Hi Annie,
Sorry, I forgot to ask. With you being a photographer and in Tasmania, have you managed to visit the Orange Bellied Parrot sanctuary yet? I was just curious. I've seen a lot about them from Attenborough to Hello Birdy...I'm so glad they are helping to bring them back - it's just a shame so many others are being lost around the world that will never return...
Take Care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch
Like the Common Myna this is one not to be encouraged, Trudy. It's introduced & occupies the ecological niche of Australian terrestrial birds.
Hi Trudy,
That sounds like a common blackbird to me.
edit: Dammit - there were no responses when I first looked at this, I swear.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Hi there Woko,
I didn't know this about him. I guess I'm only a fledgling when it comes to researching birds. I tend to take a lot of them at face value, and in particular how the little finches react to the other birds that visit my yard. The noisy myna's tend to chase them, though I don't think they hurt them. I think they take incredible joy from making the finches scatter at times, and for this, I do not like the noisy myna. They're cautious when Magpies Currawongs and Butcher Birds visit - though I do understand why.
But to a lot of the birds that visit, they do not tend to harass other species. I have, however seen the Red Wattle Bird attack the Myna's, and I've seen Magpie's attack the large reflective Pigeons. I tend to leave them all be. I figure that is the safest way to be. I don't encourage birds of any particular type - they just have to be in the right spot at the right time to get a treat around here - which is getting fewer and fewer by the day.
I'm weaning both myself and the birds in preparation of my new "grand design" bird friendly garden. Yes, I'll probably still give them treats, every now and then, but it certainly won't be as often as I have been doing it in the past...
Take Care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch
I don't know about you, Trudy, but I find that the more I learn about birds & the environment the more I change & adjust my thinking & behaviour. It's a fascinating process, I find. Maybe it's part of evolution!
I totally agree with you there, Woko. Very good points
Who couldn't be taken in by the charm of the birds in our environment? Once you get researching about them, you find out some fascinating stories. I just have to mention this story in particular I saw on an Attenborough documentary about crows in Japan. They feed on a particular type of nut (which one I can't remember), but it's hard to open the nut for a bird. So what it does (or used to do), was fly over city traffic and drop the nut. It would fall to the road, a car would drive over it and hence the nut would be cracked. But after a while they figured out it was a dangerous mission to get to it, having to dodge the traffic. So in fact, the crows would wait on traffic lights/crossings. They would drop the nuts and again, the cars would drive over them and crack them, but the crow would wait for the lights to turn red, so would then be able to eat the nut in relative peace as the people were crossing the road. How intuitive is that?? Absolutely fascinating!
Sorry, I couldn't help but regale that story I saw - they even had footage of it and I thought to myself "How awesome are these birds?"
Take Care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch
Homesick settlers introduced it as the blackbird is a superb and renowned songster, mentioned in English poetry, listen out for it come springtime.
On a less pleasing note, aside from direct competition with native birds for resources, the blackbird also spreads further into native bush than most introduced bird species, modifying the environment along the way by spreading its favoured food plants, such as introduced weeds like blackberry and privet, as well as native plants such as sweet pittosporum outside their indigenous ranges. It also causes considerable soil disturbance with its ground foraging antics, stimulating weed germination and has been implicated in the decline of some sensitive native orchids.
You're welcome Trudy. He's probably the brightest CB I've seen too.
I'm possibly one of the few camera wielding residents or visitors (to Tas) that haven't had a chance to admire an OBP in person
. One day if I'm lucky perhaps. I totally agree, and salute the wonderful organisations that do so much for the ongoing existence of these precious birds.
West Coast Tasmania