I had thought that by now the little Magpie-larks would have been on the wing.
But, No.
I’ve ventured out each morning the past few days, and as only Melbourne can do, it has been freezing cold, windy, and on one morning, a thin sleet running on the wind.
Feel a bit self-indulgent about putting up another set of these little birds on nest and feeding. However, as is so typical, I’ve grown rather fond of the fluffly little hyperactive feather balls. They seem to be fed about every 10-15 minutes and it’s not unsual for first one, and then the other parent to arrive to keep them filled up.
Today, as the nest is now, well, well overcrowded, one of them ventured out on to the branch. Mum came by and in scolding Muddie calles shoo’d it back into the nest. In the nest they are very accommodating of the other’s needs for a wing-stretch or a preen, and it’s not unual for one to bob down into the nest so the other one has room to flex the tiny wings. Hard to describe but heartwarming to watch. Here is a couple of days of activity.
I’ve tried it as a gallery, so click on an image for a larger view and slide show.
Giving the little wings a bit of a work outHere, here, we’re over here. Interestingly they are not calling at this stage and its all about wide open beaks and wing flapsAnother food deliveryEvery effort is made to be sure that nothing is accidently droppedBeginning to develop a full set of wing feathers.The other two hug down in the nest so that a wing trial can go ahead. Another deliveryGetting bold and stepping out to make room in the nest.Mum comes in with a beakfulShowing off its tiny tailMore food on call.The young ones are messy feeders and the long legs of the insect meant that one didn’t quite make it into the mouth.Mum tries again. The fallen insect is on the branch and nest junctionNo waste here. Mum reaches down to retrieve the loss.… And in it goes.
Those that know me well, will tell you that I have a distinct appreciation for Magpie-larks. Goes all the way back to a young kid chasing them along the irrigation channels where I grew up. Muddies, Mudlarks, Peewees, all names that these fiesty little birds have been called.
I think we all appreciated as little kids that Muddies could play about in puddles of water, and not get told off. A sneaking respect for them so developed.
Their antics are numerous, and among them are the range of calls that they have. Ask them, “How deep is the water?” and they’ll respond with a shrill, “Knee-deep”. They also have a charming duet call, first he calls, then she answers. They also love to fly together, land, and go through a wing-waving technique with lots of shrill calls.
They also have the into and out of the nest down to an art form. The incoming one calls to announce arrival, and as it drops in, the other one departs. To a casual observer it would seem that a bird flew into, and then out of the tree. The amount of time for the change over, is not much more than the blink of an eye.
We have one that visits the local front garden, its a female. She has worked out, I think, that the concrete aand metal fences nearby will amplify her call, and it is really quite penetrating.
Recently I also learned that their mud-nest building is a little more complicated and explains an odd thing that I’ve seen from time to time. Occassionally I would find a nest in one tree, and another nest nearby, but the second nest was never used. Seems that Muddies get a bit confused, or excited about nest building, and after looking at several sites, they seem to select one, and start work, but also begin work on a second one as well. Eventually, both harmonise and one nest gets completed.
This clutch is at least their second for this season, and there was no confusion about the nest location. Both worked on it.
The pictures tell the rest of the story.
All complete and she settles down to laying and beginning to broodThey share the brooding processThe young are hatched in around 18 days, and a clutch is usually 3. I have seen one clutch of 4 Within a few days, they have packed on the weight, and developed feathers and are nearly ready to leaveA wing stretch that overflows the nestMum arrives with a top-upPlenty of begging, but she knows which one is nextAnd in it goesStill, it doesn’t hurt to askMaybe a wing-flap might attract attentionBut, that’s it for this round.
Once they fly, there will be no holding them, so its all over so quickly.
Friend of mine once said in conversation as we chatted about my time in the bush, “Bird photography is pretty easy, you just sit in a deckchair and photograph any birds that happen to come by.” And today, for once, he was right. Thanks for the advice John.
Mr An Onymous had looked at the weather maps, the weather forecasts, the icon ladies and I guess in the end, just plain looked out the window, and declared we should take a trip to Point Cook Coastal Park on Friday. Sounded good as we’d not been out that way since the end of the Flame Robin season, most of the birds were well on their way back by mid of September.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 