This photo is very special to me. I've grown up calling this bird a "happy family" because they travel in happy family groups chattering to each other constantly. Only over the past few years I am seeing fewer and fewer of them. The group was down to seven members a couple of years ago. Only three returned last winter and now this winter there is just this one bird. It still chatters incessantly but there are no answers to his calls.
Wow. That's pretty sad Margaret but unfortunately, all too common.
I haven't posted any shots of our backyard birds for ages but fortunately they are still around - or at least they have been until now. A few days ago, "developers" or as I prefer to call them, "urban vandals" cleared a block two doors down from us of all the gum trees and other smaller trees ready for three houses to be built on what was previously 1 block with a large house on it. Consequently, many of our birds have lost their nesting and shelter trees. Interesting to see the effect in the longer term :-(
@terryliv Yes. Urban vandals indeed. When I saw the extent of land clearing while I was on the Gold Coast recently, my heart went out to our native wildlife. What chance do they have?
@markp They are spread all down the east coast and, although our area of Queensland escaped the fires, they would have been right in the middle of the New South Wales and Victorian Fire areas. They are listed as moderately common across Australia.
I haven't posted any shots of our backyard birds for ages but fortunately they are still around - or at least they have been until now. A few days ago, "developers" or as I prefer to call them, "urban vandals" cleared a block two doors down from us of all the gum trees and other smaller trees ready for three houses to be built on what was previously 1 block with a large house on it. Consequently, many of our birds have lost their nesting and shelter trees. Interesting to see the effect in the longer term :-(