Australian Ravens share affection, saliva and samphire

How's this for a show of affection? Australian Ravens mate for life it's said. But that's not saying so much given they don't breed till age three and then usually for only four or five years. In fact most never breed since more than 60 percent are said to die before age one and others never find partners.

This resident pair in the Town Common have had two or maybe three families. They don't know how lucky they are. Now they're approaching another season and indeed their touching display may be testament to some quickening of the blood.

Also interesting the other morning was a rush to gobble wet samphire (in the mouth, above) - after they had been feeding on, probably, some other plant material at the side of the road. 

It appeared there may have been some transfer of the samphire, along with French kissing and the usual saliva. Samphire salad? French kissing tops French dressing.

Birdseed beats other Common dumpings

Bit big for Budgie seed but food is food so Australian Ravens picked and pecked the other day at someone's accidental or otherwise scattering on roadside in Townsville Town Common. At least birdseed beats garden waste, old tyres and other grubby dumpings from grubs 'using' the conservation park. Pity then that the automatic front gate is yet again out of action and thus failing to bar entry between 6.30pm and 6.30am.

At high risk from night-time hoons are the park's snakes, since many species are nocturnal hunters. Small Brown Tree Snake photographed in fig tree yesterday is just one such.

Also endangered, animals such as Agile Wallaby pair in the park this morning. Speeding vehicles bring dangers enough. The same vehicles not infrequently carry dogs unlawfully into the park. Yet another threat to its values.

On a cheerier note, it's starting to feel like springtime. And pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters busily get down to springy gymnastics on the airport fence this morning. No sign so far of any nesting tunnels being dug. Their enthusiasm may come to nothing.

Meanwhile, Zebra Finches juvenile and adult continue to add colour to trees, grasses and weeds near the park entry gate (that's the gate that's almost always out-of-order).

Let's pray for natural order to always outweigh disorder, the disorderly, and the out-of-order.

Crow woe can drive one stark raven mad

Remember those Torresian Crows from last week? They were actually these Australian Ravens photographed yesterday in the Townsville Town Common Conservation Park.

It's all in the pink throat patch below the bill.

Now you see it ...

... now you don't.

And the longer hackles. But not in young birds.
And the bigger bill. But not in young birds.
And in the calls. But not to most ears.

Makes a difference knowing all this, doesn't it? No? Well, no matter. The birds don't care anyway.

Australian Ravens batter spiders and bowl crickets

Ants? Not so much. Spiders? Yes, yes,yes.  Crickets? Rare treat! Closer look at Australian Ravens ripping into leaf nests this week (earlier post, June 18) came up with bad news for leaf-sac spiders.

Rough counts show 30-40 maturing spiders per nest. Some must escape as nest is pierced after being torn from tree and dropped or flown to road.

So local Australian Ravens (Torresian Crows too? Probably, but only ravens seen) continue to poke into road metal, digging safety-seeking spiders from under loose stones.

Much better than spiders must be biggish, juicy tree (Raspy?) cricket within its near-identical leaf nest, created for protection from dehydration or while moulting (up to 12 times).

Judging by ravens' behaviour and leaf litter left on road the birds don't or can't distinguish between spiders' and crickets' nests.

Rarity of definite cricket nests found prevents even the roughest of estimates of spider-cricket nest ratio.

And the ants? Live nests are so firmly anchored the ravens cannot hope to dislodge them. Perhaps their attacks on old, dead nests have another prey in mind? Questions, always questions.