Bird songs
In Rushworth we are blessed with a variety of birds and the background sound of their calls. It is wonderful to wake up to the chortling of magpies, to hear the evening laughter of kookaburras or to listen to the chirps and chatters of the small birds in the garden. In time you will be able to identify species of birds by their calls.
Birds will call for a range of reasons. Some mark out their territories, warning rivals to stay away. Some warn of danger or intruders. The group chortles of the magpies and the joint laughter of kookaburras seem also to be a means of bonding family groups. Finally, many birds will use calls to entice a mate. Sometimes the calls are amusing. A few years ago, I was working on my laptop when I was disturbed by two juvenile superb blue wrens who were having a fine time exploring the inside of my house. I managed to evict them and as I settled back to my work I heard some angry chattering from the garden -the delinquent youngsters were getting a real dressing-down by their parents. At present the incessant squarking of young magpies demanding to be constantly fed can be quite jarring. Sometimes it is quite sad: for weeks now, a little striated pardalote has been singing his heart out for a mate at a nesting box, so far without success. How critical birdsong is to mating is highlighted by the plight of male regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia).
The regent hone eater, once common across southeastern Australia, is listed as critically endangered with only about 300 birds left in the wild. Destruction of habitat has been the driver behind its decline. However, there is an added problem that is contributing to this decline.
Juvenile regent honeyeaters need to learn their songs, including the mating song, from mature male regent honey eaters. The problem is that with so few regent honeyeaters left, the youngsters are picking up and imitating the songs of other species, such as crimson rosellas, friar birds and various other species of honeyeaters. At breeding time, the females are being serenaded by males using the wrong songs and are totally unimpressed. There are several things being done with the aim of saving this honeyeater.
Both Taronga and Melbourne Zoos have captive breeding programs and are now releasing captive-bred birds into the wild. The birds have proven that they can be highly mobile with some birds being sighted hundreds of kilometres away from their release point in just a few months. The captive-bred honeyeaters are happily mingling with the wild honeyeaters.
To ensure that juvenile males learn the correct mating song they are played recordings of the adult males singing. This is done during the captive breeding programs and also at known nesting sites in the wild.
Finally, in some areas land is being revegetated to reproduce suitable regent honeyeater habitat.
We have so many wonderful bird songs here in Rushworth. They are always in the background, making it easy to take them for granted, but how sad it would be if we lost them?
