Today I set up my telescope (with phone-camera adapter) on the spot and was very surprised to see up to 3 chicks poking their heads up. My surprise arises because:
- the nest has obviously been in operation for about 3 weeks and I hadn't noticed it; and
- fencing contractors have been working - including using a JCB backhoe - within 5 metres of the nest.
Here are a couple of photos. The first just shows the nest.
I will try and get some clearer shots on a less windy day!
On Christmas day it was much cooler and in my checking of the nest I couldn't see any chicks. I was seriously hoping that a Currawong (Strepera graculina illegittima) hadn't raided the nest. However on Boxing Day the adults were still coming to the nest and sticking their heads in. Then an adult arrived and settled down to brood.
From about Boxing Day it became a bit tricky walking across the lawn as the adult birds practiced their swooping tactics. More fencing work happened on the 27th and 28th and on the evening of the 28th I made it across the lawn without being swooped. Had the adults abandoned the nest? My next trip across the lawn gave a major swoop, so all is OK. In addition, unlike the Pied Currawongs the Friarbirds aren't sexist: Frances also gets swooped.
Quite late in the evening of the 28th there was a large amount of Noisy Friarbird calling from the top of the Big Yellow Box. At least 3 birds were up there calling and flying about in an agitated manner. Eventually a brown Goshawk departed with the 3 Friarbirds in close formation behind it.
It isn't just raptors and humans that get chased: on the evening of the 30th December a pair of gang-gangs came into the garden and were immediately harassed by the friarbirds. As Gang-gangs don't look like raptors, and don't fly like raptors, this must be some instinctive reaction to movement in the vicinity of the nest.
We walked across the lawn on 4 January and didn't get swooped! A there had been more fencing going on we were unsure if this meant the chicks had fledged or if the parents had given up and abandoned. Checking from a stepladder the nest was empty so a successful event!
On Christmas day it was much cooler and in my checking of the nest I couldn't see any chicks. I was seriously hoping that a Currawong (Strepera graculina illegittima) hadn't raided the nest. However on Boxing Day the adults were still coming to the nest and sticking their heads in. Then an adult arrived and settled down to brood.
Quite late in the evening of the 28th there was a large amount of Noisy Friarbird calling from the top of the Big Yellow Box. At least 3 birds were up there calling and flying about in an agitated manner. Eventually a brown Goshawk departed with the 3 Friarbirds in close formation behind it.
It isn't just raptors and humans that get chased: on the evening of the 30th December a pair of gang-gangs came into the garden and were immediately harassed by the friarbirds. As Gang-gangs don't look like raptors, and don't fly like raptors, this must be some instinctive reaction to movement in the vicinity of the nest.
We walked across the lawn on 4 January and didn't get swooped! A there had been more fencing going on we were unsure if this meant the chicks had fledged or if the parents had given up and abandoned. Checking from a stepladder the nest was empty so a successful event!
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