Phil alerted me that there was an unusual bird sitting on our clothes line and he had heard a rather special bird call as well. When I looked out the window I could see the bird on the ground eating something. I snuck outside (yes at last I have my camera back) and managed to get a couple of distance shots which I've enlarged.
The bird then flew up into the nearby weeping peppermint tree so I could check what it had been eating. By the look of what was left it was a rat. You can see the long tail and the trace of a head as well.
We get many black and white birds at our place: magpies, mud larks, willy wagtails and of course crows/ravens but it it seldom we receive a visit from a butcher bird. I was glad to see it was only a rat that it was devouring and not another bird. When I went outside a little later there was no sign of the remains.
P.S. We did have a visit from a cuckoo shrike last week but not having the camera I was unable to get its picture but then they tend to be rather shy so I probably would have missed out anyway.
Such a useful visitor. A rat eaten has to be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the rat was first caught by our cat or a neighbourhood cat? We had a baby rat on our front mat last week, courtesy of Precious.
DeleteOh that is the kind of bird I would like around here, eating rats on a farm is the thing that is needed on some farms especially hog and chicken farms not so much on beef thank goodness. I love the thought of a weeping peppermint tree. Hug B
ReplyDeleteI'd not realised they are Australian birds so will do a post describing them on Sunday.
DeleteThe weeping peppermint (Agonis flexuosa) is also endemic to Australia, Western Australia to be precise. They are beautiful trees but much hardier than the willow of the northern hemisphere.
An interesting and useful bird.
ReplyDeleteSee next Sunday's post describing the bird.
DeleteAt last I know what a butcher bird looks like. I've never seen one.
ReplyDeleteAt least I don't think I have.
You may have seen one but mistaken it for a magpie as the colouring can be similar but they are somewhat smaller but larger than a mudlark.
DeleteI googled images of weeping peppermint tees and some of the pictures look like the big weeping tree across the driveway from me. The one that sends out such a strong odour sometimes that I have to close the doors and windows or get a fierce headache.
ReplyDeleteI am doing a post on the butcherbird for people of the northern hemisphere and I'll do one of the weeping peppermint too so you can see if it is the same as the tree you have. I've never noticed a strong odour even when they are in flower and we have 3 in our garden.
DeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteLove the call of the butcherbird too....did he sing you a song? YAM xx