Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

Oh, I do love my blue Aussies.

No way can I hatch anything for a few years until this lot pass. Then I'll start again with eggs only.

Did I ever tell the story on here of my mothers spangled hamburgs? She hatched clutch after clutch of nothing but roosters - she never got a single girl.

That's the same as my pair of white leghorns i had years ago. Hatched a heap of her eggs and not a single girl. I had then for a few years and never did get a girl from her.

 

[satay]

Good morning folks 

First up … [COLOR=1D2129]Shaming Time! So, I have a cold and my voice has developed a rather hoarse/raspy tone. Most loved ones would be offering hugs, chicken soup, hot drink, sympathy etc .. not beloved hubby, he is walking around the house going "squawk" "squawk" whenever I talk to him! LOL [/COLOR]

Anyways, that is one of the reasons I have been AWOL for a few days, feeling a little under the weather and of course, with such good timing, work has been really busy.

Anniebee thank you for the clarification.

I have seen that video but thank you for sharing it .. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again.  Such a beautiful mumma cat.

Chucky continues to visit every afternoon and no sign of the adult bird again.  It has only been spotted that one time with the carcass.

Because I have been feeling crook and flat out working, I did manage to knock off at 3pm yesterday instead of 4.  So, I let the girls out early and Chucky was sitting in the Mango Tree, singing up a storm.  He has a beautiful voice.  I walked up and talked to him and he kept singing away.

PS.  He is not a fan of sardines 

appps In answer to the plans for the spring hatching season.  I have no plans but I am fairly sure that my broody bunch have some plans of their own   

Fizzybelle My Silkie, Tina [RIP sweet girl] would do Peacock impersonations when she was brooding; she would sit quietly on the nest but whenever she took a break she would stand in the middle of her run and screech like a Peacock.

KiKi [RIP also] and Crystal are Silkie X’s and yep, very loud and duck like.  You can not mistake Crystal’s voice.  Imagine a duck doing the egg song 

MyHaven congrats on the Ara egg!

I can relate. I have had something similar. I went to the doctors on Saturday and i am trying to say to him with my raspy voice that i started out with man flu and now my ear is sore. I don't think he knew what man flu was We get a lot of foreign doctors out here. My man flu has now tuned into a middle ear infection.

 

[appps]

Must be this years flu Satay. We had one here that that had ear blocking and pain too. Unusual to get that. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[Teila]

Good morning folks

We got 4 eggs from 5 gals yesterday, LuLu still being the only one not to return to laying.

Thank you all for your kind words, I am feeling much better today, just in time to return to work

Anniebee Yep, that is Excel. I have not heard any clacking from Chucky but he has taken to sitting in the Mango Tree and singing .. it is quite beautiful. He was singing to me this morning when I fed the girls but I told him in no uncertain terms that he is not getting breakfast also! lol

I do not think you are nuts and will definitely growl at Chucky if he continues to swoop the girls.

MyHaven I am not positive Chucky is a juvenile and here are some pics of him … I would be interested to know if he is similar to yours and what type he could be if not a juvenile.





This is the adult I saw with him the other day and who he just watched with the carcass he had been eating earlier. That is the only time I have seen the adult [or other type?]. As others have said that they could not see the hidden images very well, I have not hidden this one but apologise if the carcass is upsetting for some. You can see Chucky watching the adult from the plant pot: [PS. My lawn is not totally dead

that is just the area under the Mango Tree which gets very little light and under which, not even the weeds thrive .. my tree fern however loves that spot and is thriving]

 

[Teila]

I can relate. I have had something similar. I went to the doctors on Saturday and i am trying to say to him with my raspy voice that i started out with man flu and now my ear is sore. I don't think he knew what man flu was

We get a lot of foreign doctors out here. My man flu has now tuned into a middle ear infection.

Ear infections suck .. I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Anniebee]

Good morning folks

We got 4 eggs from 5 gals yesterday, LuLu still being the only one not to return to laying.

Thank you all for your kind words, I am feeling much better today, just in time to return to work

Anniebee Yep, that is Excel. I have not heard any clacking from Chucky but he has taken to sitting in the Mango Tree and singing .. it is quite beautiful. He was singing to me this morning when I fed the girls but I told him in no uncertain terms that he is not getting breakfast also! lol

I do not think you are nuts and will definitely growl at Chucky if he continues to swoop the girls.

MyHaven I am not positive Chucky is a juvenile and here are some pics of him … I would be interested to know if he is similar to yours and what type he could be if not a juvenile.





This is the adult I saw with him the other day and who he just watched with the carcass he had been eating earlier. That is the only time I have seen the adult [or other type?]. As others have said that they could not see the hidden images very well, I have not hidden this one but apologise if the carcass is upsetting for some. You can see Chucky watching the adult from the plant pot: [PS. My lawn is not totally dead

that is just the area under the Mango Tree which gets very little light and under which, not even the weeds thrive .. my tree fern however loves that spot and is thriving]

Teila --- This has had me intrigued, so I went rummaging around on the Net again.

From this link : http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/grey-butcherbird .... comes the following bit of info.

Description

The adult Grey Butcherbird has a black crown and face and a grey back, with a thin white collar. The wings are grey, with large areas of white and the underparts are white. The grey and black bill is large, with a small hook at the tip of the upper bill. The eye is dark brown and the legs and feet are dark grey. Both sexes are similar in plumage, but the females are slightly smaller than the males. Young Grey Butcherbirds resemble adults, but have black areas replaced with olive-brown and a buff wash on the white areas. The bill is completely dark grey and often lacks an obvious hook. They are sometimes mistaken for small kingfishers.
Similar Species

The Black Butcherbird, Cracticus quoyi, from the rainforests and mangroves of the north of Australia is all black, with a blue-grey bill. The widespread Pied Butcherbird, C. nigrogularis, is larger and boldly marked in black and white.

It's my guess that the bird at the carcass, is an adult Grey as it matches as far as I can see - the description above. Also the young as described with duller buff and olive brown looks rather like Chucky. Neither birds are pieds or blacks. Butcher birds ( like the magpies ) are also mimics. It's difficult to figure out his size compared to the adult on the ground. But in relation to the fencing, the plastic container of greens etc., he looks to be a bit smaller than an adult. At the bottom here, I have put a photograph I snagged from the Net - of a juvenile grey butcher bird. Very similar to Chucky, but with a pronounced curve on the upper beak. Some juvies have them, some don't ( apparently - " often lacks an obvious hook " ). Chucky also has a distinct 'lore' ( whitish / paler part between eye and beak ).
When they attack to kill or injure, they do so with a maniacal cackle ( not something magpies do when attacking, thank heaven ). That is also on the link posted. It's possible the turtle dove was carried or dragged by the adult to where Chucky could watch, learn, and eat.
Mynahs are brilliant mimics as well, as I have discovered recently from one who sits alone, just above Mindy - and sings on and off all day to her ( ? ). It mimics her own soft little chatterings. Hasn't tried the cackle / shriek bit yet though.

Enjoy your time with Chucky ... but be careful too, especially if there are adult birds somewhere about. Breeding season is between July and December.
Will be very interested to hear more about Chucky, as he / she matures.
Cheers ......

 

[Teila]

Thanks Anniebee great information!

Yeah, I have to agree, all research and pictures are pointing to Chucky being a juvenile grey. As he visits every day without fail, I will hopefully be able to monitor if he starts to change and develop more of the adult grey colouring and yep, I will keep you updated.

Chucky does have a hook on his beak but not as pronounced as the one in the picture you sourced from the net.

He is slightly bigger than a Turtle Dove and on comparing the adult next to the Turtle Dove and Chucky next to the Turtle Dove, only slightly smaller than the adult, if at all.

Yep, I will be careful if an adult is around and also keep in mind that Chucky is a potential predator if we have chicks. Hopefully he can learn some boundaries where the chickens are concerned and continue to live in harmony with them; apart from the occasional telling offs by Dusty that is

He is a cheeky little thing and kinda fun to have around though.

 

[ThePoultryLife]

Hi everyone~ From the Sunny QLD~

Just put my first batch of quail eggs in my incubator - first ever time incubating!

 

[Fancychooklady]

Wow, you guys have been busy! We've had a busy week with horsey events and I too have had that awful sinus / ear infection.

We are preparing for the trip to Aus champs. My little ' Flossy ' the silkie with prolapse has recovered and going back out with girls today.
Here's a horsey pic

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi everyone~ From the Sunny QLD~ 

Just put my first batch of quail eggs in my incubator - first ever time incubating! 

Hello and welcome, I've just set a dozen quail eggs for a frien, my first time hatching quails too.