Hi all this morning on my way into work, I saw a Noisy Miner chasing a small bird (a pardalote?) across the open space above the road junction of Pacific Highway and Mona Vale Road in northern Sydney. It looked like they came out of the trees by the rail bridge and headed off towards North Ryde (for those familiar with this area). I didn’t see where the birds alighted or how long the pursuit continued, but it made me wonder about two things: 1. How far & how long a Miner is prepared to pursue an intruder before they are considered to be “off territory”?; and 2. What would actually happen if the Noisy Miner catches the tiny bird? Cheers Tom Wilson
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Tom, Sorry for the late reply but I was just reminded today by seeing just such a chase. I live overlooking the Woronora River in Sydney and I regularly see, my vantage point at the kitchen table, miners chasing pardalote out into the river valley. Usually the pardalote heads straight out over the river, the miner chases for about 100m or so, then gives up and comes back, closely followed by the pardalote. The fact that it always starts and ends the same way gives me the impression of being a bit stage-managed: it really looks like the miner’s heart isn’t in it! Paul