Wonderful Willie Wagtails – From eggs to fledglings
14.3 هزار بار بازدید -
7 سال پیش
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This Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)
This Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) family was filmed across five visits in five weeks in Cornwallis, NSW. When we first meet the adult pair on 2 October they are possibly finishing off the nest and are about to lay a clutch of three eggs or have just done so. The nest was on bare branches of a jacaranda tree quite close to the ground and only metres from a road. While in theory we could have easily looked inside when the Willie Wagtail was off the nest, we didn’t want to cause them distress. Initially they were showing some agitation at our presence, but calmed down when we stayed a respectful distance and kept still. Building a nest so close to human activity is common for this bird. Often their preferred open habitat includes parks, gardens and farmland (as seen in Cornwallis). Indeed, you might hear the rhythmic chug of turf sprinklers nearby. The nesting tree also featured Magpie Lark nests higher up. Again, this arrangement is quite common and may even be deliberate for the Wagtails. It has been suggested that they take advantage of the aggressive defence behaviour of Magpie Larks. However, they too defend their nests vigorously against predators such as Pied Currawongs and Australian Ravens. In this case it might just be convenience as suitable trees were thin on the ground.
On our return on 7 October the Willie Wagtail pair were undoubtedly incubating their eggs with both parents taking turns. A week later we arrived to find no one sitting on the nest for at least three minutes. It was a fairly mild late afternoon and the nest was warmed by gentle sunshine. We could hear the parents nearby and kept our usual distance. When one parent returned to the nest (as shown in 15 October segment) he or she looked down but no little heads appeared. Given the Willie Wagtail breeding time-line we suspect that the eggs hadn’t yet hatched but must have been close. As we don’t live in the area we planned to return in another week or so. But due to the Polo Championships we stayed away a little longer. We were concerned that this road would be unusually busy and we would draw attention to this otherwise inconspicuous nest. Luckily 28 October had the typical peaceful ambience. And we were greeted by the delightful sight of three thriving chicks, who looked almost ready to leave the nest.
One week later we returned to find the nest empty and half-collapsed. Not easily deterred by the bad weather and the challenge, we listened out for the Willie Wagtail calls and explored a nearby field. There they all were! Two parents jauntily searching for insects on the ground and three fledglings perched on low objects nearby (e.g. fence rails), showing ungainly versions of Willie Wagtail movements. Clearly this was a relatively successful breeding exercise as often there are losses both in the egg and chick stage. As the rain increased (you can hear the patter on our umbrella) the parents continued to feed the fledglings. They seemed quite relaxed in our presence. We had hoped to see the family again on a sunny 12 November but only the parents could be found near the nest tree. Given the age of the fledglings and the parents presence at the old nest, the three siblings are probably close to independence. The old nest looked like it had been renovated for the next clutch and one parent had spider-web in its beak. If conditions are favourable Willie Wagtails can lay up to four clutches in a breeding season.
For more information on these wonderful little birds visit http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/speci...
On our return on 7 October the Willie Wagtail pair were undoubtedly incubating their eggs with both parents taking turns. A week later we arrived to find no one sitting on the nest for at least three minutes. It was a fairly mild late afternoon and the nest was warmed by gentle sunshine. We could hear the parents nearby and kept our usual distance. When one parent returned to the nest (as shown in 15 October segment) he or she looked down but no little heads appeared. Given the Willie Wagtail breeding time-line we suspect that the eggs hadn’t yet hatched but must have been close. As we don’t live in the area we planned to return in another week or so. But due to the Polo Championships we stayed away a little longer. We were concerned that this road would be unusually busy and we would draw attention to this otherwise inconspicuous nest. Luckily 28 October had the typical peaceful ambience. And we were greeted by the delightful sight of three thriving chicks, who looked almost ready to leave the nest.
One week later we returned to find the nest empty and half-collapsed. Not easily deterred by the bad weather and the challenge, we listened out for the Willie Wagtail calls and explored a nearby field. There they all were! Two parents jauntily searching for insects on the ground and three fledglings perched on low objects nearby (e.g. fence rails), showing ungainly versions of Willie Wagtail movements. Clearly this was a relatively successful breeding exercise as often there are losses both in the egg and chick stage. As the rain increased (you can hear the patter on our umbrella) the parents continued to feed the fledglings. They seemed quite relaxed in our presence. We had hoped to see the family again on a sunny 12 November but only the parents could be found near the nest tree. Given the age of the fledglings and the parents presence at the old nest, the three siblings are probably close to independence. The old nest looked like it had been renovated for the next clutch and one parent had spider-web in its beak. If conditions are favourable Willie Wagtails can lay up to four clutches in a breeding season.
For more information on these wonderful little birds visit http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/speci...
7 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1396/09/11 منتشر شده
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