This Grey Butcherbird has been visiting, tidying up and stealing – and turned up just as I started writing this sentence!
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 1600, focal length 560mm
Canon 5DSR, Canon 200-400mm L IS USM EXT
During lockdown it’s especially lovely to share brand new photographs with you. This Grey Butcherbird is quite a character, I’m wondering whether it’s the same bird that I rescued from my woodshed a few years ago.
My bubble person (how wonderful to have a bubble person during this lockdown!) sometimes needs to bring children with her. We stay in the garden, wearing masks and socially distancing but it is amazingly wonderful compared with the months I’ve had without having visitors like this. Anyways, back to the butcherbird. One of the children had brought a little dog ornament to show me. She put it on the veranda railing, between her and me. It’s a tiny little dog, just a couple of centimetres high. As I was looking at it, from a distance, this resourceful bird flew in, scooped it up and flew away with it! The poor little girl was so upset. Our only hope was that the bird wouldn’t fly too far before realising it wasn’t edible.
I saw where it landed, half way up a tree, about thirty or forty metres away. The little one and her mum started running and saw where the ornament had been dropped. Phew!
1/640, f/5.6, ISO 1600, focal length 560mm
Canon 5DSR, Canon 200-400mm L IS USM EXT
After my visitors left I saw the butcherbird on the veranda, right next to the door, picking up some pretty tiny crumbs that must have been dropped. The shot above is a high key photograph showing the bird looking down from the pergola. Maybe it’s especially busy because it has youngsters to feed, I might find out soon if some juveniles turn up.
Ethical Nature Photography is a fantastic new website by Georgina Steytler that is well worth a visit. Click on the link to check out the three guest articles with images by myself, Melissa Groo and Doug Gimesy Ethical Nature Photography
Happy birding, stay safe, Kim
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~ Facebook group Ethical Bird Photography
The poor child must have thought it had gone forever!! It makes me wonder what happened to some things I’ve lost?
Ha, yes, that’s a funny thought!
Hi Kim
Great story about the Butcherbird and your link post well written with important messages for all of us who love birds. . Thankyou for continuing to bring to people’s attention information and advice which assists in supporting the health and appropriate observation of our avian fauna versus making them into a sideshow and social media banality.
Warm regards
Alison
Hi Alison, it was quite hilarious apart from the little one being so upset. Word is spreading about ethical wildlife photography, I’ve recently sent information to an organisation that sponsors photography competitions about banning nest photography – hopefully they’ll come on board too. Everyone one of us who supports the concept is making a difference, so thank you heaps, Kim
This is a truly delightful post.
I am a big fan of bubbles (of all kinds) and very, very glad you have one to relieve the lockdown loneliness.
I am also a big fan of butcher birds, and your images are truly lovely.
I was very pleased to hear that the kidnapped dog was returned with no harm – and am off to check out Ethical Nature Photography now.
Thank you.
It was a very dramatic moment EC with the butcherbird flying off with the kidnapped dog (hehe) firmly in its bill and the little one so upset that her “Honey” was rapidly disappearing!