pied butcherbird

Continuing our wander through this woodland beside the river again, high above my head, was a Pied Butcherbird and he put on a bit of a display for me, didn't he LOL

Bit of a tale to tell you now. We sat down at the picnic table for cuppie and cake. I lifted the cake off the plate and couldn't believe what happened next..... ... the cake was on it's way to my mouth when a Kookaburra flew over my shoulder grabbed the cake and was off before I could...

When I got to the kitchen block I discovered that someone (who shall be nameless;)) had put out some bread for the birds. This Butcherbird wasn't long in taking advantage, was he!!

Another species pecking around the picnic area was a handsome Pied Butcherbird. He sussed me trying to get his picture, didn't he.

We'd now moved down to the Gold Coast for a few days, staying in a cabin on a camp site on Mount Nimmel. The first bird to greet me was this juvenile Pied Butcherbird.

The butcherbirds of Australia seem to have similar behaviour to 'our' shrikes, in that they impale their prey on thorns (and I presume barbed wire fences). They also have a slight hook to the bill. After we'd had our fill of the Koala, we started to wander across to the cemetery, first coming...

Pied Butcherbird http://johnfoss.yolasite.com/pied-butcherbird.php

Hand feed several Grey Butcherbirds every day but this is the first time a Pied Butcherbird has paid a visit to the garden. Slightly bigger than the Grey and still very gentle taking meat from the hand even with that hooked beak.

One can really see the hook on it bill.

Pied Butcherbird

The Pied Butcherbird has one of the loveliest songs of any bird in Australia. It also has a beak that removes lumps from ringers hands.

Haven't had the Pied bb in my garden at all this year. This was taken near the coast on a public walkway.

These birds have a really sharp looking hooked tip to their bills.