Thought I'd give you all an update on the Grey Butcherbird family that was nesting just across the road. The babies fledged just before I headed away and over the few days after fledging, they moved deeper and deeper into the bush until I couldn't see them or hear them anymore. I pretty much thought that was that and was just glad I got to witness the process and happy that all four chicks survived to moving out stage.
Well, over the last few days I've been hearing a lot of noise - those whining bubbas are back! They are flying so much better now and their stubby tails are almost grown into full adult looking tails. And with bigger birds, come louder cries! The parents also call loudly to them in what appears to be an effort to get them out and about more. There are definitely three babies and possibly four but good lord they are bouncy things, so no sooner have I started to count them then they've moved on.
I've seen them in the front yard last couple of days but was woken up by the noisy buggers this morning as they've moved into the back yard! Even though they're now looking like mini adults, they are still super dependant on the parents, waiting to be fed, always in the dark, just in the exact wrong amount of light for decent photos, hanging together like a little gang of thugs yelling demands as mum and dad fly in and out.
The other day I watched as one of the babies was fed god knows what, some white goop stuck onto a leaf that had been gathered from the forest floor. Whatever it was the recipient gobbled it down happily. This morning though, one of the parents turned up with a Green Grocer Cicada!!! So that's the first Cicada I've seen this season, still yet to hear one but let's just say, this one has had better mornings 😐😂 So the parent did its best to make the fat, crunchy insect edible. The cicada was pounded a bit on the corrugated iron roof of whatever that little space is in our yard and snatched up by one of the hungry bubbas. But eating Cicadas is hard apparently and I watched on, half in horror, half in hysterics as cicada went in, cicada came out. Cicada went in, cicada came out.
Now mum or dad was not going to stand by and watch the cicada get choked part of the way down only for it to be coughed straight back up again. And I don't know about you, but if that was me, I would (fully gloved up and trying not to gag), take that cicada out of my baby's mouth and make it smaller and easier for the little one to swallow. But that's me and I'm not a cold hearted, ruthless bastard like this mofo who snatched the cicada from the baby and handed it to another nearby 😂 Harsh. Let me tell you, that bubba was taking no chances, and as its poor brother or sister flew in next to it and squawked and shoved and tried to get its breakfast back, it swallowed that cicada down, not taking any chances of losing it to one of the other hungry mouths, even as the cicada sat as a big lump in its throat for about a minute, before finally going down. That's some hard core parenting and some life lessons right there!
Grey Butcherbirds
Northern Illawarra
