Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 19, Issue 16

By Birding-Aus, on May 16th, 2015

5. Re: Greenfinch in Brisbane (Elliot Leach) Weekend of 9-10th May 8 were sighted on Lord Howe Island, along with 3 Goldfinch. Goldfinches still about. Most likely blow ins from NZ So it’s possible they could have blown in Hank Bower Manager Environment/World Heritage Lord Howe Island Board PO Box 5 Lord Howe Island NSW 2898 Ph: 02) 6563 2066 (ext 23) Fax: 02) 6563 2127 email: hank.bower@lhib.nsw.gov.au —–Original Message—– From: Birding-Aus [mailto:birding-aus-bounces@birding-aus.org] On Behalf Of birding-aus-request@birding-aus.org Sent: Monday, 18 May 2015 2:30 AM To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 19, Issue 16 Send Birding-Aus mailing list submissions to birding-aus@birding-aus.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body ‘help’ to birding-aus-request@birding-aus.org You can reach the person managing the list at birding-aus-owner@birding-aus.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than “Re: Contents of Birding-Aus digest…” Today’s Topics: 1. Re: Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria (Kev Lobotomi) 2. Re: Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria (Carl Clifford) 3. how about promoting petitions here (berenice pearcy) 4. Re: Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria (Bill Stent) 5. Re: Greenfinch in Brisbane (Elliot Leach) 6. Raven calls (Graeme Chapman) 7. Re: Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria (Kev Lobotomi) 8. Re: Raven calls (Kev Lobotomi) 9. Re: Raven calls (Kev Lobotomi) 10. Re: Raven calls (Bill Stent) 11. Re: Raven calls (Kev Lobotomi) 12. Re: Greenfinch in Brisbane (Mike Owen) 13. Re: Raven calls (Kev Lobotomi) 14. Re: how about promoting petitions here (Shirley Cook) 15. Advertising / Petitions (Russell Woodford) 16. RFI Brisbane owls (Ian Reid) 17. Birdpedia – Australia – Weekly Digest (Birdpedia – Australia Info) ———————————————————————- Message: 1 From: Kev Lobotomi <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> To: Bill Stent <billstent@gmail.com>, <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria Message-ID: <BAY404-EAS15697ED3B251EE4909E9D34A6C60@phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″ Could be either little or Australian in that area. What did they call like like.-Kevin Bartram — Original Message — From: “Bill Stent” <billstent@gmail.com> Sent: 16 May 2015 10:11 PM To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria A couple of weeks ago I was at Chum Creek near Healesville in Victoria. I had to pick my daughter up from a scout camp. While I was there, a couple of ravens flew over, calling as they did. My immediate thought was that they were Aussie ravens, and was surprised that they were there, but then I wasn’t sure. The calls weren’t quite right for Aussie or Little. Could I have been hearing Aussies after all – the calls were much closer to that than Littles (and no, they definitely weren’t Forests). Or could I have heard some odd local dialect of Littles? Any thoughts?

Birding-Aus mailing list
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org
To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org —————————— Message: 2 Date: Sat, 16 May 2015 22:29:44 +1000 From: Carl Clifford <carlsclifford@gmail.com> To: Bill Stent <billstent@gmail.com> Cc: “birding-aus@birding-aus.org” <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria Message-ID: <C824E686-308A-42EC-8E28-873C20E2C9AC@gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Could certainly be a regional dialects. Ravens and other corvids are known to have them. I have been caught out the same way in the past. Carl Clifford > On 16 May 2015, at 10:10 pm, Bill Stent <billstent@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > A couple of weeks ago I was at Chum Creek near Healesville in Victoria. I had to pick my daughter up from a scout camp. While I was there, a couple of ravens flew over, calling as they did. My immediate thought was that they were Aussie ravens, and was surprised that they were there, but then I wasn’t sure. The calls weren’t quite right for Aussie or Little. > > Could I have been hearing Aussies after all – the calls were much closer to that than Littles (and no, they definitely weren’t Forests). Or could I have heard some odd local dialect of Littles? > > Any thoughts? >

>
Birding-Aus mailing list >
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > —————————— Message: 5 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 12:37:06 +1000 From: Elliot Leach <elliot.leach@griffithuni.edu.au> To: Andrew Thelander <thelander.a@gmail.com> Cc: birding-aus <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Greenfinch in Brisbane Message-ID: 6AkwLpwVJOikWNcUV6UUmUuM4ZaVWOqjbr8A@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 The bird was still there this morning – does anyone have any idea where it could have come from? It wasn’t banded (as far as I could see), but I’m assuming that it’s an escapee… it’s a long, long way out of range if not. elliot On 16 May 2015 at 20:25, Andrew Thelander <thelander.a@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi folks > > A single European Greenfinch was seen and photographed by myself and > others today at the Sandy Camp Road Wetlands in Wynnum North, Brisbane. I > have posted some pics on the birding-aus Facebook page. > > A rare sighting for Brisbane. > > cheers > > Andrew > > > > > > > >

>
Birding-Aus mailing list >
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > > —————————— Message: 6 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 11:50:51 +1000 From: Graeme Chapman <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> To: billstent@gmail.com Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Message-ID: <908DE981-6099-4342-A834-FA40D75A5DAD@graemechapman.com.au> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hello Bill, In my experience there is little variation in Australian Raven calls from place to place all over Australia, except for the SW of W.A. where they all sound distinctly different in pitch (Listen on my website under Western Raven.) However if you are talking repertoire, Australian Ravens have a call for almost every occasion. When they are chasing a raptor (such as on call LS100104 on my website) they sound almost hysterical whereas at rest (mild advertisement, at rest call) the calls almost suggest the mood. When I hear that hysterical call, I always look at the sky because I know there’ll usually be a Wedgie or a Little Eagle up there or sometimes a smaller raptor. The raven-like calls you heard may have just been one you are not familiar with – for instance they have a quite distinctive travelling call when flying high overhead which may be a signal to the resident birds below that they are doing just that, travelling, and have no territorial intents. Little Ravens are a different story. Like Australian Ravens they do have a repertoire, perhaps less distinctive to our ears, but there are other variables. Birds from the interior are on average smaller than those from alpine areas and to my ear, the bigger alpine birds have deeper sounding calls . Little Ravens and Forest Ravens form a superspecies (that is they are very closely related) and Forest Ravens, which are even bigger again have even deeper calls. I like to think I’ve had more experience with our crows and ravens than most people these days (I studied them with CSIRO and Ian Rowley for nearly ten years) but I do admit that occasionally I hear a corvid call that makes me think, as you did at Chum Creek. The ones I have found most difficult were either from the Coorong/SE South Australia or from south Gippsland, where both Little and Forest Ravens occur together. Corvids vary a lot in size. Males are mostly bigger than females by about 10% but the birds we used to call runts (the youngest of a clutch of five that only survive in good seasons – normally they starve and fail to fledge) go through life as much smaller birds and probably sound like wimps as well!! I did handle a bird once which, on measurement was midway between Little Raven and Forest Raven and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day somebody finds these two species as a mixed pair. As somebody has pointed out certainly both Australian and Little Ravens can occur at Chum Creek, and even Forest Raven would be a possibility – the Prom isn’t that far away and corvids do wander. So you can see there are lots of variables and without hearing a recording of your birds at Chum Creek, we’ll never know. One thing I do know is that Australian Ravens from Chum Creek will sound like Australian Ravens from anywhere else in the eastern states. I am not aware of any local dialects. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any – just that they are hard to discern. As with any other passerines, most of their repertoire is learnt and like the vowel sounds in humans, they would vary from place to place. If you really want to hear regional variation in an Australian bird, go listen to the Grey Butcherbirds. Regards Graeme Chapman —————————— Message: 7 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 09:35:18 +1000 From: Kev Lobotomi <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> To: Bill Stent <billstent@gmail.com> Cc: “<birding-aus@birding-aus.org>” <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria Message-ID: <BAY404-EAS196763EF6F95303D8021706A6C60@phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″ Hi Bill The calls of both ravens vary enormously. They both can wail. But with Little it tends to be a much shorter wail. The main difference is the tone of the call. Australians have a higher pitch, Little is quite low (Forest lower still). Kev — Original Message — From: “Bill Stent” <billstent@gmail.com> Sent: 17 May 2015 8:24 AM To: “Kev Lobotomi” <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> Cc: “<birding-aus@birding-aus.org>” <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria They had the Aussie wail, but it was just not like the ones you hear north of Bendigo. If I had have been up there when I heard them I would have said it’s a couple of Aussies with a sore throat. On 16/05/2015, at 10:22 PM, Kev Lobotomi <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> wrote: > Could be either little or Australian in that area. What did they call like like.-Kevin Bartram > > — Original Message — > > From: “Bill Stent” <billstent@gmail.com> > Sent: 16 May 2015 10:11 PM > To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls, Chum Creek, Victoria > > > > > A couple of weeks ago I was at Chum Creek near Healesville in Victoria. I had to pick my daughter up from a scout camp. While I was there, a couple of ravens flew over, calling as they did. My immediate thought was that they were Aussie ravens, and was surprised that they were there, but then I wasn’t sure. The calls weren’t quite right for Aussie or Little. > > Could I have been hearing Aussies after all – the calls were much closer to that than Littles (and no, they definitely weren’t Forests). Or could I have heard some odd local dialect of Littles? > > Any thoughts? >

>
Birding-Aus mailing list >
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > —————————— Message: 8 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 13:49:29 +1000 From: Kev Lobotomi <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> To: Graeme Chapman <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au>, <billstent@gmail.com> Cc: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Message-ID: <BAY404-EAS31023088E29A949F16668E0A6C50@phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″ Hi Graeme I had a good listen to sw WA Aussie Ravens and they sound exactly the same as eastern birds to me. Kev — Original Message — From: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> Sent: 17 May 2015 1:26 PM To: billstent@gmail.com Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Hello Bill, In my experience there is little variation in Australian Raven calls from place to place all over Australia, except for the SW of W.A. where they all sound distinctly different in pitch (Listen on my website under Western Raven.) However if you are talking repertoire, Australian Ravens have a call for almost every occasion. When they are chasing a raptor (such as on call LS100104 on my website) they sound almost hysterical whereas at rest (mild advertisement, at rest call) the calls almost suggest the mood. When I hear that hysterical call, I always look at the sky because I know there’ll usually be a Wedgie or a Little Eagle up there or sometimes a smaller raptor. The raven-like calls you heard may have just been one you are not familiar with – for instance they have a quite distinctive travelling call when flying high overhead which may be a signal to the resident birds below that they are doing just that, travelling, and have no territorial intents. Little Ravens are a different story. Like Australian Ravens they do have a repertoire, perhaps less distinctive to our ears, but there are other variables. Birds from the interior are on average smaller than those from alpine areas and to my ear, the bigger alpine birds have deeper sounding calls . Little Ravens and Forest Ravens form a superspecies (that is they are very closely related) and Forest Ravens, which are even bigger again have even deeper calls. I like to think I’ve had more experience with our crows and ravens than most people these days (I studied them with CSIRO and Ian Rowley for nearly ten years) but I do admit that occasionally I hear a corvid call that makes me think, as you did at Chum Creek. The ones I have found most difficult were either from the Coorong/SE South Australia or from south Gippsland, where both Little and Forest Ravens occur together. Corvids vary a lot in size. Males are mostly bigger than females by about 10% but the birds we used to call runts (the youngest of a clutch of five that only survive in good seasons – normally they starve and fail to fledge) go through life as much smaller birds and probably sound like wimps as well!! I did handle a bird once which, on measurement was midway between Little Raven and Forest Raven and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day somebody finds these two species as a mixed pair. As somebody has pointed out certainly both Australian and Little Ravens can occur at Chum Creek, and even Forest Raven would be a possibility – the Prom isn’t that far away and corvids do wander. So you can see there are lots of variables and without hearing a recording of your birds at Chum Creek, we’ll never know. One thing I do know is that Australian Ravens from Chum Creek will sound like Australian Ravens from anywhere else in the eastern states. I am not aware of any local dialects. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any – just that they are hard to discern. As with any other passerines, most of their repertoire is learnt and like the vowel sounds in humans, they would vary from place to place. If you really want to hear regional variation in an Australian bird, go listen to the Grey Butcherbirds. Regards Graeme Chapman

Birding-Aus mailing list
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org
To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org —————————— Message: 9 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 13:51:58 +1000 From: Kev Lobotomi <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> To: Graeme Chapman <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au>, <billstent@gmail.com> Cc: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Message-ID: <BAY404-EAS224044018109EC91C3C5C99A6C50@phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″ Also there is no chance the birds could be forest ravens. This is way out of their range and the south gippsland birds do not wander that much. Kev — Original Message — From: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> Sent: 17 May 2015 1:26 PM To: billstent@gmail.com Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Hello Bill, In my experience there is little variation in Australian Raven calls from place to place all over Australia, except for the SW of W.A. where they all sound distinctly different in pitch (Listen on my website under Western Raven.) However if you are talking repertoire, Australian Ravens have a call for almost every occasion. When they are chasing a raptor (such as on call LS100104 on my website) they sound almost hysterical whereas at rest (mild advertisement, at rest call) the calls almost suggest the mood. When I hear that hysterical call, I always look at the sky because I know there’ll usually be a Wedgie or a Little Eagle up there or sometimes a smaller raptor. The raven-like calls you heard may have just been one you are not familiar with – for instance they have a quite distinctive travelling call when flying high overhead which may be a signal to the resident birds below that they are doing just that, travelling, and have no territorial intents. Little Ravens are a different story. Like Australian Ravens they do have a repertoire, perhaps less distinctive to our ears, but there are other variables. Birds from the interior are on average smaller than those from alpine areas and to my ear, the bigger alpine birds have deeper sounding calls . Little Ravens and Forest Ravens form a superspecies (that is they are very closely related) and Forest Ravens, which are even bigger again have even deeper calls. I like to think I’ve had more experience with our crows and ravens than most people these days (I studied them with CSIRO and Ian Rowley for nearly ten years) but I do admit that occasionally I hear a corvid call that makes me think, as you did at Chum Creek. The ones I have found most difficult were either from the Coorong/SE South Australia or from south Gippsland, where both Little and Forest Ravens occur together. Corvids vary a lot in size. Males are mostly bigger than females by about 10% but the birds we used to call runts (the youngest of a clutch of five that only survive in good seasons – normally they starve and fail to fledge) go through life as much smaller birds and probably sound like wimps as well!! I did handle a bird once which, on measurement was midway between Little Raven and Forest Raven and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day somebody finds these two species as a mixed pair. As somebody has pointed out certainly both Australian and Little Ravens can occur at Chum Creek, and even Forest Raven would be a possibility – the Prom isn’t that far away and corvids do wander. So you can see there are lots of variables and without hearing a recording of your birds at Chum Creek, we’ll never know. One thing I do know is that Australian Ravens from Chum Creek will sound like Australian Ravens from anywhere else in the eastern states. I am not aware of any local dialects. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any – just that they are hard to discern. As with any other passerines, most of their repertoire is learnt and like the vowel sounds in humans, they would vary from place to place. If you really want to hear regional variation in an Australian bird, go listen to the Grey Butcherbirds. Regards Graeme Chapman

Birding-Aus mailing list
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org
To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org —————————— Message: 10 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 13:57:54 +1000 From: Bill Stent <billstent@gmail.com> To: “Kev Lobotomi” <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com>, “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> Cc: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Message-ID: <19FAC4C0C9654FBDA418EC1EE98DAE25@BillDesktop> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=”UTF-8″; reply-type=original Yes, I agree that they couldn’t have been Forest Ravens. I’m thinking they were in fact Aussies. It’s just that I’m a little surprised they occur there. ————————————————– From: “Kev Lobotomi” <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2015 1:51 PM To: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au>; <billstent@gmail.com> Cc: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls > Also there is no chance the birds could be forest ravens. This is way out > of their range and the south gippsland birds do not wander that much. Kev > > — Original Message — > > From: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> > Sent: 17 May 2015 1:26 PM > To: billstent@gmail.com > Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls > > Hello Bill, > > In my experience there is little variation in Australian Raven calls from > place to place all over Australia, except for the SW of W.A. where they > all sound distinctly different in pitch (Listen on my website under > Western Raven.) However if you are talking repertoire, Australian Ravens > have a call for almost every occasion. When they are chasing a raptor > (such as on call LS100104 on my website) they sound almost hysterical > whereas at rest (mild advertisement, at rest call) the calls almost > suggest the mood. When I hear that hysterical call, I always look at the > sky because I know there’ll usually be a Wedgie or a Little Eagle up there > or sometimes a smaller raptor. The raven-like calls you heard may have > just been one you are not familiar with – for instance they have a quite > distinctive travelling call when flying high overhead which may be a > signal to the resident birds below that they are doing just that, > travelling, and have no territorial intents. > > Little Ravens are a different story. Like Australian Ravens they do have a > repertoire, perhaps less distinctive to our ears, but there are other > variables. Birds from the interior are on average smaller than those from > alpine areas and to my ear, the bigger alpine birds have deeper sounding > calls . Little Ravens and Forest Ravens form a superspecies (that is they > are very closely related) and Forest Ravens, which are even bigger again > have even deeper calls. I like to think I’ve had more experience with our > crows and ravens than most people these days (I studied them with CSIRO > and Ian Rowley for nearly ten years) but I do admit that occasionally I > hear a corvid call that makes me think, as you did at Chum Creek. The ones > I have found most difficult were either from the Coorong/SE South > Australia or from south Gippsland, where both Little and Forest Ravens > occur together. Corvids vary a lot in size. Males are mostly bigger than > females by about 10% but the birds we used to call runts (the youngest of > a clutch of five that only survive in good seasons – normally they starve > and fail to fledge) go through life as much smaller birds and probably > sound like wimps as well!! I did handle a bird once which, on measurement > was midway between Little Raven and Forest Raven and I wouldn’t be > surprised if one day somebody finds these two species as a mixed pair. > > As somebody has pointed out certainly both Australian and Little Ravens > can occur at Chum Creek, and even Forest Raven would be a possibility – > the Prom isn’t that far away and corvids do wander. > > So you can see there are lots of variables and without hearing a recording > of your birds at Chum Creek, we’ll never know. One thing I do know is that > Australian Ravens from Chum Creek will sound like Australian Ravens from > anywhere else in the eastern states. I am not aware of any local dialects. > That doesn’t mean there aren’t any – just that they are hard to discern. > As with any other passerines, most of their repertoire is learnt and like > the vowel sounds in humans, they would vary from place to place. If you > really want to hear regional variation in an Australian bird, go listen to > the Grey Butcherbirds. > > Regards > > Graeme Chapman >

>
Birding-Aus mailing list >
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > —————————— Message: 11 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 14:07:07 +1000 From: Kev Lobotomi <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> To: Bill Stent <BillStent@gmail.com>, Graeme Chapman <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> Cc: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Message-ID: <BAY404-EAS491230FA13647948E0A42BA6C50@phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″ They are definitely in that area. Aussies prefer wooded areas, Little prefer open areas like farmland. Once you get up the hills east of Melbourne you get Aussies. Kev — Original Message — From: “Bill Stent” <billstent@gmail.com> Sent: 17 May 2015 1:57 PM To: “Kev Lobotomi” <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com>, “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Yes, I agree that they couldn’t have been Forest Ravens. I’m thinking they were in fact Aussies. It’s just that I’m a little surprised they occur there. ————————————————– From: “Kev Lobotomi” <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2015 1:51 PM To: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au>; <billstent@gmail.com> Cc: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls > Also there is no chance the birds could be forest ravens. This is way out > of their range and the south gippsland birds do not wander that much. Kev > > — Original Message — > > From: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> > Sent: 17 May 2015 1:26 PM > To: billstent@gmail.com > Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls > > Hello Bill, > > In my experience there is little variation in Australian Raven calls from > place to place all over Australia, except for the SW of W.A. where they > all sound distinctly different in pitch (Listen on my website under > Western Raven.) However if you are talking repertoire, Australian Ravens > have a call for almost every occasion. When they are chasing a raptor > (such as on call LS100104 on my website) they sound almost hysterical > whereas at rest (mild advertisement, at rest call) the calls almost > suggest the mood. When I hear that hysterical call, I always look at the > sky because I know there’ll usually be a Wedgie or a Little Eagle up there > or sometimes a smaller raptor. The raven-like calls you heard may have > just been one you are not familiar with – for instance they have a quite > distinctive travelling call when flying high overhead which may be a > signal to the resident birds below that they are doing just that, > travelling, and have no territorial intents. > > Little Ravens are a different story. Like Australian Ravens they do have a > repertoire, perhaps less distinctive to our ears, but there are other > variables. Birds from the interior are on average smaller than those from > alpine areas and to my ear, the bigger alpine birds have deeper sounding > calls . Little Ravens and Forest Ravens form a superspecies (that is they > are very closely related) and Forest Ravens, which are even bigger again > have even deeper calls. I like to think I’ve had more experience with our > crows and ravens than most people these days (I studied them with CSIRO > and Ian Rowley for nearly ten years) but I do admit that occasionally I > hear a corvid call that makes me think, as you did at Chum Creek. The ones > I have found most difficult were either from the Coorong/SE South > Australia or from south Gippsland, where both Little and Forest Ravens > occur together. Corvids vary a lot in size. Males are mostly bigger than > females by about 10% but the birds we used to call runts (the youngest of > a clutch of five that only survive in good seasons – normally they starve > and fail to fledge) go through life as much smaller birds and probably > sound like wimps as well!! I did handle a bird once which, on measurement > was midway between Little Raven and Forest Raven and I wouldn’t be > surprised if one day somebody finds these two species as a mixed pair. > > As somebody has pointed out certainly both Australian and Little Ravens > can occur at Chum Creek, and even Forest Raven would be a possibility – > the Prom isn’t that far away and corvids do wander. > > So you can see there are lots of variables and without hearing a recording > of your birds at Chum Creek, we’ll never know. One thing I do know is that > Australian Ravens from Chum Creek will sound like Australian Ravens from > anywhere else in the eastern states. I am not aware of any local dialects. > That doesn’t mean there aren’t any – just that they are hard to discern. > As with any other passerines, most of their repertoire is learnt and like > the vowel sounds in humans, they would vary from place to place. If you > really want to hear regional variation in an Australian bird, go listen to > the Grey Butcherbirds. > > Regards > > Graeme Chapman >

>>
Birding-Aus mailing list >>
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >>
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >>
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org >> >> >

>
Birding-Aus mailing list >
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > —————————— Message: 13 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 16:43:38 +1000 From: Kev Lobotomi <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> To: Graeme Chapman <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> Cc: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Message-ID: <BAY404-EAS824864F1B69E18B71BD575A6C50@phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″ Hi Graeme The habitat preference statement wasn’t directed at you, it was a general statement for those following this thread. In Victoria Forest Ravens occur in isolated populations. They are rarely seen away from those populations (except perhaps in the west, but we’re not talking about a bird from this area). It is known that there is a population in the lakes Entrance area. They are not known to be anywhere near Chum Creek, so any record there should be highly scrutinised and would be a significant record, as they are not known anywhere near Melbourne or Healesville. — Original Message — From: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> Sent: 17 May 2015 2:20 PM To: “Kev Lobotomi” <kevlobotomi@hotmail.com> Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls Hello Kev, Clearly you haven’t got much of an ear for calls. It has been said that SW Aust ravens quack like ducks by some people although I find that a bit extreme. It is well-known fact that they sound different. As for Forest Ravens not occurring near Chum Creek, I did say that was only a possibility and it is. Young corvids of all descriptions wander widely. I have just photographed one at Lakes Entrance which is further as the crow flies from the Prom than Chum Creek. Graeme Chapman On 17/05/2015, at 1:49 PM, Kev Lobotomi wrote: > Hi Graeme > I had a good listen to sw WA Aussie Ravens and they sound exactly the same as eastern birds to me. Kev > > — Original Message — > > From: “Graeme Chapman” <naturalight@graemechapman.com.au> > Sent: 17 May 2015 1:26 PM > To: billstent@gmail.com > Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Raven calls > > Hello Bill, > > In my experience there is little variation in Australian Raven calls from place to place all over Australia, except for the SW of W.A. where they all sound distinctly different in pitch (Listen on my website under Western Raven.) However if you are talking repertoire, Australian Ravens have a call for almost every occasion. When they are chasing a raptor (such as on call LS100104 on my website) they sound almost hysterical whereas at rest (mild advertisement, at rest call) the calls almost suggest the mood. When I hear that hysterical call, I always look at the sky because I know there’ll usually be a Wedgie or a Little Eagle up there or sometimes a smaller raptor. The raven-like calls you heard may have just been one you are not familiar with – for instance they have a quite distinctive travelling call when flying high overhead which may be a signal to the resident birds below that they are doing just that, travelling, and have no territorial intents. > > Little Ravens are a different story. Like Australian Ravens they do have a repertoire, perhaps less distinctive to our ears, but there are other variables. Birds from the interior are on average smaller than those from alpine areas and to my ear, the bigger alpine birds have deeper sounding calls . Little Ravens and Forest Ravens form a superspecies (that is they are very closely related) and Forest Ravens, which are even bigger again have even deeper calls. I like to think I’ve had more experience with our crows and ravens than most people these days (I studied them with CSIRO and Ian Rowley for nearly ten years) but I do admit that occasionally I hear a corvid call that makes me think, as you did at Chum Creek. The ones I have found most difficult were either from the Coorong/SE South Australia or from south Gippsland, where both Little and Forest Ravens occur together. Corvids vary a lot in size. Males are mostly bigger than females by about 10% but the birds we used to call runts (the youngest of a clutch of five that only survive in good seasons – normally they starve and fail to fledge) go through life as much smaller birds and probably sound like wimps as well!! I did handle a bird once which, on measurement was midway between Little Raven and Forest Raven and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day somebody finds these two species as a mixed pair. > > As somebody has pointed out certainly both Australian and Little Ravens can occur at Chum Creek, and even Forest Raven would be a possibility – the Prom isn’t that far away and corvids do wander. > > So you can see there are lots of variables and without hearing a recording of your birds at Chum Creek, we’ll never know. One thing I do know is that Australian Ravens from Chum Creek will sound like Australian Ravens from anywhere else in the eastern states. I am not aware of any local dialects. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any – just that they are hard to discern. As with any other passerines, most of their repertoire is learnt and like the vowel sounds in humans, they would vary from place to place. If you really want to hear regional variation in an Australian bird, go listen to the Grey Butcherbirds. > > Regards > > Graeme Chapman >

>
Birding-Aus mailing list >
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > —————————— Message: 14 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 17:39:47 +1000 From: “Shirley Cook” <shirleycook@skymesh.com.au> To: “berenice pearcy” <berenicepearcy@gmail.com>, <Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] how about promoting petitions here Message-ID: <000601d09074$a6ae20e0$9201a8c0@shirleybf3c786> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=”iso-8859-1″; reply-type=original Many Petitions have already been promoted on this forum. One of the problems in my experience, is that when I signed one, I received a large number of unrelated petitions. All very worthy no doubt, but they then “breed” petitions of their own. If there was some way to support them without the intrusive “invasion” of other petitions it would be a good thing. Shirley Cook —– Original Message —– From: “berenice pearcy” <berenicepearcy@gmail.com> To: <Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org> Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2015 9:41 AM Subject: [Birding-Aus] how about promoting petitions here > Hi guys > > I am very new birder and I am interested in all activities of bird > watching > (except pelagic-i get sea-sick). Just wondering if I can promote relevant > petitions/crowdfunding on this site eg Birdlife Aus crowdfunding to track > the grey plover or the a petition to Tassie Government to protect the > swift > parrot etc > > kindly Berenice >

>
Birding-Aus mailing list >
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org >
To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > —————————— Message: 15 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 18:35:59 +1000 From: Russell Woodford <rdwoodford@gmail.com> To: “birding-aus@birding-aus.org” <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Advertising / Petitions Message-ID: 7vv8zEGZ30J2kACPSrGuDw7ZkxiRSArFqzJPGZgLFT-A@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Hi everyone I’ve been completely snowed under with work and have only just started catching up on recent threads – a big thank you to the moderation team (Bill and Peter, assisted often by Paul and Karen) who keep things ticking over day after day. As Andrew and others noted, we decided to allow advertising some months ago, as long as it is birding-related and clearly identified as advertising. There hasn’t been a rush of commercial posts, mainly because the few people posting them have been respectful of the rest of this community. I would like to thank everyone for that. If you are running a trip, or have published a new guide, app, website or magazine, please feel free to let this part of the birding community know about it. If someone asks about a guide in a particular area, or a birding bookshop, or bird-friendly accommodation, etc then it’s appropriate to reply to the individual and/or the group (please put ADVERTISEMENT in your reply subject). Guides and others who post helpful information, or participate in discussions, and have something about their services in their message block are also acting within the guidelines of this forum. What I DON’T think is appropriate is someone posting frequently and prinicipally about their birding tours or services – there are plenty of other avenues for this. As I’ve often said in the past, if you don’t like a post, stop reading it and delete it. As always, discuss the topic and not the writer! Petitions: if they are about wild bird welfare, then by all means, inform the community via birding-aus. But I do agree that some of the very worthwhile crowdsourcing organisations like getup and change.org can get on one’s nerves a bit. I don’t sign many petitions, but I do find it a bit annoying that these sort of organisations bombard you with a lot of irrelevant causes. One more point: a number of people have kindly and generously offered to support birding-aus over the years, but so far I haven’t had to take up these offers. The costs are fairly small, and I’ve benefited in many, many ways – learning more, meeting lots of wonderful people online and in person, and many of these have been generous with their time and shown me around their local patch. I am grateful for all these kindnesses and hope to meet many more birding-aus members. Russell Woodford Ocean Grove Birding-Aus Founder —————————— Message: 16 Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 20:20:41 +0930 From: Ian Reid <ian.reid@adelaide.edu.au> To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Subject: [Birding-Aus] RFI Brisbane owls Message-ID: <55587281.80909@adelaide.edu.au> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Hi all, I am travelling to Brisbane for a work trip this week, Tues-Thurs, but hope to do a couple of short targetted birding expeditions: 1. Would love to see Sooty Owl and believe they are possible on Mt Glorious. eBird shows a record from April this year. Can anyone furnish me with any more detailed info? I’ll rent a car and drive from my downtown hotel if necessary — either Tues or Wed evening — though if there is a Brisbane birder who fancies the trip do let me know. 2. I hope to head for the airport a bit early on Thurs and have a look around Kedron Brook wetlands. Here my hope is for Grass Owl and Mangrove Honeyeater. Again, if anyone has more specific info, would love to hear. Best wishes, Ian — Prof. Ian Reid School of Computer Science University of Adelaide Adelaide, 5005 ph: +61 (08) 83132135 www: http://cs.adelaide.edu.au/~ianr —————————— Message: 17 Date: Mon, 18 May 2015 00:05:08 +0930 From: “Birdpedia – Australia Info” <info@birdpedia.com> To: <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Birdpedia – Australia – Weekly Digest Message-ID: <B476E82A1B414B2DAAA0F8FA73529347@mfpws01> Content-Type: text/plain The following is a digest of Sightings Reported on Birdpedia for the period Monday, May 11, 2015 to Sunday, May 17, 2015: Area: SA Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 Location: Freemans KNob Port Elliot 5212 Great-winged Petrel (Pterodroma macroptera) (1) Gliding low over the wave tops close into the lookout. Big surf and a strong SW wind. Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) (1) Single bird close in. Reported by: Winston Syson on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 ——————————————— Need more information about a sighting? Login and contact the poster directly. Receive sightings via email or SMS immediately they are posted. Not a member of Birdpedia? Membership is free and gives you access to information for over 230 countries. To sign up go to the Birdpedia Web Site (http://www.birdpedia.com/). To find out more about Birdpedia and what it can do for you, see ‘What is Birdpedia?’ ——————————————— —————————— Subject: Digest Footer _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org —————————— End of Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 19, Issue 16 ******************************************* ——————————-Safe Stamp———————————– Your Anti-virus Service scanned this email. It is safe from known viruses. For more information regarding this service, please contact your service provider.

Birding-Aus mailing list
Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org
To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org

Birding-Aus

Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 19, Issue 16

Mailing List

Book Search

Meta