aussiebirder

One morning shortly after our return from our Far North Queensland tour we heard the persistent calls of a juvenile bird begging for feeding from somewhere in our back courtyard. We looked in our Bottlebrush tree but could not find it, we looked and there in the flowerpot it was, still apparently with some remaining nestling feathers having not fully fledged. We marvelled at how it managed to get here when it could not yet fly properly.

It continued calling and walk around our courtyard. It managed to climb up on our outdoor chair and later to jump up to the small birdbath where it ended up not able to climb out. The father watched and kept guard but did not interfere or assist with the bird’s progress. Click on image to enlarge it.

The father brought a food morsel freshly caught and fed the baby in the birdbath. Afterward he could see we were watching came and perched on an awning by the window looking in to us. We were unsure what he was saying to us with this act, as he knew us well and had grown up here with us, sometimes sitting on the clothes line while I was hanging out the washing. We wondered if he was asking for help or just indicating to stay clear of his baby.

With much effort and continuous attempts the baby finally managed to jump onto the edge of the birdbath and escape. The baby spent the night in our garden. My wife places a small water saucer out for it. We did not interfere with the father’s feeding schedule. Next morning the father sat up in the Bottlebrush tree on the preening branch all the birds use and some how beckoned the bird up the tree. The little bird struggled to climb the tree calling for food the whole time. The father thought it safer as a bird to be in the tree. It attracted the attention of the local Noisy Minor coalition who did not know what to do, but thankfully did not harm its as the father kept guard. They eventually accepted that it was a new member of their community.

Now the baby spent the next two days in the tree being fed and watered by father who kept watch from nearby, out of sight from the baby. The father was waiting for it to get strong enough to fly. For many Australian territorial birds the father raises the young after they are born and fledged. The Magpie and Currawong fathers bring their young to our birdbaths to train them also. The Noisy Miner are cared for initially by the females being guarded by a select group of males till they are old enough to join the male coalition and take up their position in the team. The Miners are the most frequent users of our baths coming frequently throughout the day.

The following day I was surprised to find early in the morning the juvenile quietly perched high on the neighbour’s television aerial only chirping vigorously when it sighted the father who came to check on the baby when a curious Noisy Miner who had patrol of that aerial came to move it on, but desisted with the presence of the father who has dominance over the miner. The father proceeds to feed the bird on the aerial and calls each time, often with a responding call from the female in the distance.

The next morning the bird had flown off and we never saw it again for a week, though the father continued visiting our baths and washed and drank as per usual. We saw it yesterday back in the tree with the father attending it, but it appeared to have grown considerable and was not begging. Another generation has begun, as each new year the Butcherbird and Magpie father’s bring a new youngster or two for us to admire as we watch them grow and their plumage move from juvenile to immature to adult, after which they leave to inhabit their own new community somewhere else.

CLICK HERE to discover what Birdlife Australia say about Birding and how it maintains and improves mental health. It will open in a new tab.https://birdlife.org.au/news/is-birding-good-for-your-mental-health/

Have a wonderful week and get some birding in if you can. Hopefully I will have some more interesting birds next week. Don’t forget my books are ideal Christmas presents, not just because they are beautifully presented and introduce our birds, but that each bird shares a helpful life skill from its behaviour which your child and even adult loved ones will enjoy and help them.

These books are written with input from counsellors and educators being especially helpful for children ages 7 to 12 years of age. as they deal with the specific challengers they encounter in their formative years and will equip them for life in the world. They are available here online, or you can have your copy personally signed by the author at his book signing event. The benefits of these books have been proven over ten years of successful sales and appreciative feedback. Click HERE to find out more.

We have to admire the resilience and determination of this little juvenile Butcherbird. It was totally dependent on the father’s provision, as we were on our parents and are ultimately on our Heavenly Father who constantly provides for us everything in everyway. Even though we may not acknowledge him or his continual provision, God continues to love us and provide for us regardless of our continual selfish disobedience.

Many blindly think they can escape God’s presence and continue in their rebellion by pretending he does not exist, but like gravity, if I pretend it does not exist or apply to me, I will perish if I foolishly do not regard it if I consider jumping out of plane. The proof is in the Creation around us. Common sense and wisdom refuses to believe that it just happened without a Creator, in the same way that we likewise create and make things. There is always cause and effect, action and reaction. We were created in the likeness of our Creator as creative creatures.

“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped [adoring their] idols [including their prized possessions, their favorite artists, singers, actors and sport heroes] .” – from Romans 1:18-23 (NLT)

If you feel inclined to explore further how we can learn from our birds vital truths Jesus (also a bird observer) taught that will assist in discovering true and lasting emotional and spiritual peace and joy, then click on the Birder Sanctuary image.

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Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

Member of Birdlife Australia

To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

And learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.