G’day all
I was eagerly waiting for a pair of incubating Spotted Pardalotes to hatch their chicks. Their hole was in an easily watchable part of my garden.
Yesterday I realised I hadn’t seen any activity for a while and investigated to find an excavation behind the nest entrance – no doubt to extract eggs or chicks.
We don’t have pets or lizards. We do have neighbours’ cats and there are bound to be foxes around.
So, would a cat dig the nest out?
Cheers Steve Hamilton
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G’day all
Many thanks to those who made suggestions. It seems my Pardalote nest predator is unlikely to have been a cat. Apart from a fox the most likely culprit is a Little Raven I think.
Cheers Steve
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Pardalotes regularly/annually nest in wire mesh compost bins in my brother’s orchard in Corio, Geelong, Vic. Their nestlings did not manage to fully fledge this year. John found the last body nearby. While not certain, Currawongs were the suspected predators.
While not quite the same, I annually and significantly contribute to a brood of Little Ravens. A pair has nested about a block from my home for years and I always have a considerable drop-off in eggs (and lots of shells on the roof) when nesting is on. They may even steal them from under the hens as I occasionally hear quite a ruckus from the chook yard accompanied by crow calls. This year they appear to have raised 3 young. Rudely, the young ones, rather than moving on to feed on the abundant supply of flung Maccas, KFC, souvlakis etc etc on the streets, regularly turn up to nick more eggs!! Even peering from a perch 1m or so above my irate Jack Russell valiantly trying to see them off!
Wendy
Hi Steve,
I saw a neighbour’s domesticated cat pursue an Eastern Water Skink in our garden a few years ago, before the skink disappeared through a narrow gap under the boundary fence. The cat dug at the location where the skink escaped, but soon gave up because of the hard clay soil.
Stephen Ambrose Ryde, NSW
I’ve no idea if cats will dig for prey, but there’s no doubt they can dig – I’ve seen them do it for other reasons in the kids sandpit many times …
Peter Shute
________________________________ Sent: Sunday, 13 January 2013 7:54 PM
Hi Steve, I have not heard of cats digging for prey. This doesn’t mean that they don’t.. A Fox would certainly dig a nest out. But I have seen a Little Raven dig out a bald young rabbit kitten, which was carried off towards a squawking nest. It had to go down about 5 inches and was busily digging for some time, returning after disturbance several times. Anthea Fleming
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Hi Steve, I have not heard of cats digging for prey. This doesn’t mean that they don’t.. A Fox would certainly dig a nest out. But I have seen a Little Raven dig out a bald young rabbit kitten, which was carried off towards a squawking nest. It had to go down about 5 inches and was busily digging for some time, returning after disturbance several times. Anthea Fleming
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