Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Noisy Friarbirds

I really enjoy seeing Rainbow Lorikeets around my yard. However, a number of my blogging colleagues have said that Lorikeets are very aggressive birds. Over the last month or so there have been fewer and fewer Lorikeets in my Grevillea tree. They have been driven off by extremely aggressive Noisy Friarbirds! The Friarbirds sit on the top branches and seem to warn any other birds that the tree is theirs!
I don't know if this is a normal "pecking order". Yesterday I found part of the reason! I heard small bird noises down in that area of the garden and when I looked I found this nest. I first discovered it because of the piece of paperbark that was not properly fitted around the nest and hangs down below it. When I went closer to look a Noisy Friarbird flew off. I can't see into the nest as it has been carefully constructed so that it is behind some leaves. I climbed up on a step ladder - far enough away that I would not be too much of a disturbance - and I can see baby beaks waving around just above the rim of the nest. To see more I will have to wait until the young birds get big enough to move out of the nest.

6 comments:

  1. Noisy, and aggressive, and no half so pretty as any lorikeet. But you'll get to see them develop.

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  2. Hi Tony, Hopefully they'll take themselves off when the young are fledged. I'd rather have the lorikeets back!

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  3. Great to see the young ones grow up, even if they are noisy.

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  4. Hi John, yes it will be interesting to see the young ones come out of the nest. I'd love to have a closer look right now but don't think it would be good to disturb them.

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  5. Very cool to be able to watch any bird raise their young, even if they are noisy Friarbirds! That's a really neat looking nest too.

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  6. Hi Larry, the young ones are making much more noise today so hopefully I will start to see heads pushing above the nest soon.

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