Nancy
Wednesday 19th November 2003, 03:28
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Today is a sticky, warm day and I arrived home to my cool forest house at about 1pm, thankful to be out of the city traffic. I went outside straight away to water some tender pot plants; while watering I heard the loud call of a Pied Currawong, Strepera graculina ( a large, raven-sized, black and white bird related to the Butcherbird family). This must have been an alarm call as it caused a mild panic amongst the parrots and rosellas in nearby trees. It sounded no different to me than it's normal call but then I am not a bird with constant threats of predation coming from all sides so haven't got the ability to pick up the different meanings of each call.
Anyway I had a look around to see what all the fuss was about, looking down near my feet first as alarm calls can often mean there is a snake nearby, but no it was not a snake but a Lace Monitor or Goanna (large lizard). It was about half full-grown size, about 2.5 feet, and was clinging to the side of a tree about 15 feet away from where I was standing and at eye level but on a steep downhill slope. The Currrawong made repeated attacks at it with it's very large, sharp bill but wasn't able to really get at it as the Goanna was between two trunks of the tree with not much space for the bird to manoeuver. Each time the bird attacked the Goanna opened it's very large mouth and hissed and flicked it's forked tongue.
I got the digital cine camera out and got some good stuff but I couldn't take a still as the card was full so I can't attach a photo. It was a very handsome creature with all it's stripes and bands looking very fresh, as though it had just shed it's winter coat.
I don't know whether the Currawong has a nest in that tree but I couldn't see any sign of one and I think they have just about finished breeeding for this year. I suppose it is just an instinctive behaviour as the Goanna is notorious for stealing eggs and nestlings. But so is the Currawong and it ofen gets mobbed by other smaller birds and in turn mobs larger raptors such as the Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Glad it wasn't a snake though; it's getting to that time of year here when the weather warms up and the snakes come out of hibernation. Maybe the goanna predates young snakes! Must find out about that.
I watched for about ten minutes until the phone rang and when I went out again there was no sigh of the Goanna or the Currawong so I don't know the outcome. The Cockatoos are screaming out there now and making an awful, raucous racket, sometimes I would like them to speak in more gentle tones as they hurt my ears!
PS. Is it possible to run a spell check when writing a message?
Today is a sticky, warm day and I arrived home to my cool forest house at about 1pm, thankful to be out of the city traffic. I went outside straight away to water some tender pot plants; while watering I heard the loud call of a Pied Currawong, Strepera graculina ( a large, raven-sized, black and white bird related to the Butcherbird family). This must have been an alarm call as it caused a mild panic amongst the parrots and rosellas in nearby trees. It sounded no different to me than it's normal call but then I am not a bird with constant threats of predation coming from all sides so haven't got the ability to pick up the different meanings of each call.
Anyway I had a look around to see what all the fuss was about, looking down near my feet first as alarm calls can often mean there is a snake nearby, but no it was not a snake but a Lace Monitor or Goanna (large lizard). It was about half full-grown size, about 2.5 feet, and was clinging to the side of a tree about 15 feet away from where I was standing and at eye level but on a steep downhill slope. The Currrawong made repeated attacks at it with it's very large, sharp bill but wasn't able to really get at it as the Goanna was between two trunks of the tree with not much space for the bird to manoeuver. Each time the bird attacked the Goanna opened it's very large mouth and hissed and flicked it's forked tongue.
I got the digital cine camera out and got some good stuff but I couldn't take a still as the card was full so I can't attach a photo. It was a very handsome creature with all it's stripes and bands looking very fresh, as though it had just shed it's winter coat.
I don't know whether the Currawong has a nest in that tree but I couldn't see any sign of one and I think they have just about finished breeeding for this year. I suppose it is just an instinctive behaviour as the Goanna is notorious for stealing eggs and nestlings. But so is the Currawong and it ofen gets mobbed by other smaller birds and in turn mobs larger raptors such as the Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Glad it wasn't a snake though; it's getting to that time of year here when the weather warms up and the snakes come out of hibernation. Maybe the goanna predates young snakes! Must find out about that.
I watched for about ten minutes until the phone rang and when I went out again there was no sigh of the Goanna or the Currawong so I don't know the outcome. The Cockatoos are screaming out there now and making an awful, raucous racket, sometimes I would like them to speak in more gentle tones as they hurt my ears!
PS. Is it possible to run a spell check when writing a message?