Boobook Owl – Brisbane
By Birding-Aus, on July 3rd, 2014
Hi folks Today at Salisbury railway station in Brisbane, I heard Pied butcherbirds mobbing something. It turned out to be a Boobook. They had injured one eye and broken one wing. I rescued the bird and, at the RSPCA’s suggestion, took it to a particular vet for attention. The vet did not seem optimistic about the state of the broken wing and I fear the bird will be euthanased. It would certainly have been killed by the 5 butcherbirds that were attacking it very savagely. Nature – red in tooth and claw! But I wonder if these type of attacks are now more common as the owls have less suitable roosting sites available to them and end up roosting in open country and gums where they are easily discovered by butcherbirds, currawongs etc? 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
Butcherbirds (like other predators) can also respond to concentrated sources of prey in human habitations. In the 1980s, a relatively large colony of Welcome Swallows nested under the eaves of the roof over the verandah of the Eyre Bird Observatory. The Welcome Swallow nestlings were easy pickings for a pair of Grey Butcherbirds who fed their own offspring in a nest located in a tree just 200 m away. Di Congreve (the wife of the observatory’s warden, Peter), who chased the butcherbirds away with an upturned broomstick every time she saw them approach the observatory’s verandah, was the main form of predation control. Without Di’s input, who knows how much the local population of Grey Butcherbirds would have increased through improved breeding success. My only regret is that I never took any photos of Di while she was valiantly trying to save “her” swallows! Stephen Ambrose Ryde NSW —–Original Message—– Greg and Val Clancy Sent: Monday, 7 July 2014 2:57 PM I know of two cases where Pied Butcherbirds and Australian Magpies attacked fledging Ospreys as they took their first flights with both young birds suffering eye damage from their attackers. It seems that the feeding of these aggressive birds in nearby backyards caused them to concentrate in the area. Regards Greg Dr Greg. P. Clancy Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide | PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460 | 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960 http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/ —–Original Message—– Sent: Friday, July 04, 2014 12:24 PM Does Brisbane have more Butcherbirds than it used to too. This could also increase the predation rate if that has indeed happened. D. Jones only found that the feeding of Magpies did no harm to the Magpies but my question is what does that do for other species? Regards, Alan Alan’s Wildlife Tours 2 Mather Road Yungaburra 4884 Phone 07 4095 3784 Mobile 0408 953 786 http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/ —– _______________________________________________ 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
I know of two cases where Pied Butcherbirds and Australian Magpies attacked fledging Ospreys as they took their first flights with both young birds suffering eye damage from their attackers. It seems that the feeding of these aggressive birds in nearby backyards caused them to concentrate in the area. Regards Greg Dr Greg. P. Clancy Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide | PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460 | 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960 http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/ —–Original Message—– Sent: Friday, July 04, 2014 12:24 PM Does Brisbane have more Butcherbirds than it used to too. This could also increase the predation rate if that has indeed happened. D. Jones only found that the feeding of Magpies did no harm to the Magpies but my question is what does that do for other species? Regards, Alan Alan’s Wildlife Tours 2 Mather Road Yungaburra 4884 Phone 07 4095 3784 Mobile 0408 953 786 http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/ —– _______________________________________________ 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
Does Brisbane have more Butcherbirds than it used to too. This could also increase the predation rate if that has indeed happened. D. Jones only found that the feeding of Magpies did no harm to the Magpies but my question is what does that do for other species? Regards, Alan Alan’s Wildlife Tours 2 Mather Road Yungaburra 4884 Phone 07 4095 3784 Mobile 0408 953 786 http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/ —–Original Message—– Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2014 6:23 PM Hi folks Today at Salisbury railway station in Brisbane, I heard Pied butcherbirds mobbing something. It turned out to be a Boobook. They had injured one eye and broken one wing. I rescued the bird and, at the RSPCA’s suggestion, took it to a particular vet for attention. The vet did not seem optimistic about the state of the broken wing and I fear the bird will be euthanased. It would certainly have been killed by the 5 butcherbirds that were attacking it very savagely. Nature – red in tooth and claw! But I wonder if these type of attacks are now more common as the owls have less suitable roosting sites available to them and end up roosting in open country and gums where they are easily discovered by butcherbirds, currawongs etc? 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 —– No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG – http://www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4592 / Virus Database: 3986/7792 – Release Date: 07/03/14 _______________________________________________ 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
I wonder if it might have been an old / sick bird Andrew ? Jude On 7/3/14, Andrew Thelander < thelander.a@gmail.com> wrote: _______________________________________________ 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