I witnessed the most extraordinary thing this evening involving a Currawong and a cat. The cat was Pinto aka Piccolo, (her owners address her by both) an adolescent tortoiseshell cat who lives next door.
She was in our back garden, prowling around as is her wont, when all of sudden I noticed her having a go at a Currawong as it swooped over her head. The bird landed in the fig tree and sat there a while before launching itself once more, swooping on the cat then soaring up onto the fence opposite. Pinto being a feisty young thing, chased it and leapt for it in vain.
Then the bird did it all again as if it was a game. This continued for some time, the cat running after the bird, with the bird swooping deliberately low over the cat, from fence to fence, from fence to tree, until the cat lost concentration, whereon the Currawong flew off.
Pied Currawong
For those who don’t know what a Currawong is, they are a largish black and white native bird with a jolly, melodious call. There is also a grey type and a solid black type. You don’t see them much in the city, but they’re quite prevalent in rural areas and put on a deafening morning chorus of chortles and trills.
Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera handy when all this was going on. Besides, I couldn’t tear myself away from this amazing scene, watching the behaviour of these two creatures. It reminded me of that video that was making news some months ago of the owl and cat playing together.
2 comments:
maybe they will do it again, same time, same spot, another day ... and never mind the camera - you had the thrill.
Today my fauna experience was witnessing Crimson Rosellas breaking all the new growth of roses and flying away laughing about possums getting the blame.
Don't talk to me about possums, they've basically eaten all the new shoots on the fruit trees, thus denying themselves a bounteous feast come autumn. When I see them I point this out, but they take no notice.
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