Thread: A Helping Hand.

I find if I’m mowing, raking or digging these little guys follow me everywhere. Not timid and beautiful songs and always chatting to each other.

Yes seam quite tame could get my hand to with 100mm from him , had to wave it to get him to move off the cloths. We have a couple of Swallows starting to build a nest in the garage again , they make an awful mess of the cars . I tried everything to get rid of them . Last year I found if I keep braking there nest up as they build it they will eventually leave . Tomorrow being the 1st of Spring the Willy Wag Tails are back & am hopping the Blue Wrens come back this year . They nest in the trees behind us. Them & the Willy Wag Tails have a nice twitter also as well as getting rid of the bugs

Black faced cuckooshrike
We have a few of them at the farm
I have found if you get close to their nest they will lead you away from that area
Great for flying insects and they eat more than there fair share of mulberries when in season

don't feed it

you will get deposits then

Originally Posted by 1950landy

I was hanging out the washing this morning & this guy came & sat on out out door shower. I was thinking I hope he stays there & dose not decide to land on the line , I went back in side to get my camera & were should he be on the washing ( I DON'T NEED ANY DEPOSITS) , when I chased him he just hoped from one item of washing to another . When I came back in side he was siting on the fence beside the cloths line.
DSCN4460.jpg DSCN4459.jpg DSCN4458.jpg I don't mind him , it is nice to lots of birds around but I do not need any extra work from his deposits.

I'd suggest it's a grey butcherbird. One of our most melodious songbirds.
Don.

I was thinking he was a Butcher Bird, didn't know about the grey. Must have a good for our book What Bird Is That, it got packed away when we had to move out of the house while our Bamboo Floor was replaced.

I was thinking butcher bird also, although he looks bigger than the ones we have down here. We have three that come and help our chooks eat their food scraps every afternoon, stupid chooks will go straight for the handful of wheat that gets thrown out and these guys waste no time helping themselves to the best bits of bacon rind or whatever before the chooks get to it. Always love birds that will come right up to you.

Originally Posted by 1950landy

I was hanging out the washing this morning & this guy came & sat on out out door shower. I was thinking I hope he stays there & dose not decide to land on the line , I went back in side to get my camera & were should he be on the washing ( I DON'T NEED ANY DEPOSITS) , when I chased him he just hoped from one item of washing to another . When I came back in side he was siting on the fence beside the cloths line.
DSCN4460.jpg DSCN4459.jpg DSCN4458.jpg I don't mind him , it is nice to lots of birds around but I do not need any extra work from his deposits.

The fellow on the right is, I believe, a silver backed butcher bird. The one on the line the same. The other one on the left as well, [ without confirming the back. Normally have a black tail with a white tip]The Butcher bird has a typical strong hooked bill. And a wonderful song. If you have a family of these around, you are lucky. One tip, that works for us, is feed them away from where you don't want them. Ie put a bird feeder down the back, out of the way.[ don't feed them often, just enough to attract them ] Once they are attracted to your yard, they feed on insects , grubs, and all the things you don't want in your veggie garden. The cheeky beggers will even walk between your legs to get a worm you may have unearthed in the garden. A delightful little bird, even though the little devils feed on my bees, they catch them in mid flight, as they leave and enter the hive. The other morning I heard the first Currawong of spring in our area. The interaction between Butcher birds, Magpies and Currawongs as they fight for territory is better than TV, and the songs of all three are timeless Australian melody.