And just like that, three out of the four Grey Butcherbird nestlings have fledged! The fourth, the runt I guess, is still in the nest and the parents are flat out delivering food to that bubba, and to the others spread throughout the branches of the tree next to it.
Even though the nest has been looking more and more full each day, with babies literally climbing up and over one another to get comfy, it was still a bit of a surprise to see only the one bird sitting up in the nest this morning. I even did the concerned wander under their tree, and I have to admit I was thinking the worst. I guess the fact that there was one baby still sitting up there in the nest looking around like a total boss, still poking its bum out to the parents so that the faecal sac could be grabbed on the way out, threw me a bit. I had heard the Powerful Owl a few nights ago and while they love Ringtail Possums I suddenly had images of one of these huge birds crouched over the nest, crunching on one baby after another 😲 But after finding no feathers or other signs of a scuffle I spent a LOT of time looking up into the foliage and finally found the first of the fledged young ones. It took about another 15 minutes to locate all four babies.
The parents spent the morning singing noisily, the sound seemed to triangulate around the nest, with one parent to the left and the other hanging out in our yard behind the nesting area and I'm wondering if the idea was to encourage the young ones further out, or if they were communicating with one another when they spotted each baby.
The babies themselves are not as noisy as when they were all together competing for the attention of the parents and fighting for the food. Instead they tend to make just a little chirping kind of sound, their chests moving up and down with each noise, their little wings flapping quickly as they bounce along the branches. They're still trying to sort out exactly which branch makes for a suitable perch and there were a few occasions today where one of the bubbas would jump onto a tiny little twig and the whole branch would sink down under the weight 😂
Been super lovely watching these little ones growing up and the back and forth of mum and dad putting in the hard yards keeping them safe and well fed. I'm going to miss them when they're gone!
Grey Butcherbirds
Northern Illawarra
