Choughs of Glebe Park

 Frances has been spending some time in Glebe and become interested in the behaviour of the clan(s) of White-winged Choughs (Corcorax melanorhamphos) which hang out there - and nearby.  I joined her there on the afternoon of 3 March to see what we could see.  This image, based on Google Earth, summarised where we (and the Choughs) went.

We began at point 1, in the shady corner near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi where we found 4 Choughs drinking.  They then flew to a lawn under the elm trees (point 2) joining another 5, presumably part of the same clan.  I am unsure - at this time what the wing spread behaviour means but will consult HANZAB online to find out.
Here is the whole clan of 9.
A second group of 6 appeared from the direct of the toilet block, being harassed by an Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen).  Eventually all 15 birds flew off towards Bindara St.  Some of them went into the casino car park (3A) - this one seemed to be getting rather hot.
Others scrounged for food in the gutter (3B).
When birds met up there was (sometimes) a wing-flaring display which showed the white patches in the wings.  Again, HANZAB will be consulted.

After a foray in the Casuarina grove in City Walk (4,5) the birds all moved to point 6 where one bird - a young one from its plumage - lay on the pavement and the rest of the group of 9 all gathered around it.
There  seemed to be stomping and pecking going on.  HANZAB ....
After a little while this ceased and the birds returned to Glebe Park (1) where at least some of the birds had a drink at a leaky pipe.
We went back on 4 March and followed the route shown in the next image.  We first found the clan over by the Convention Centre: bottom left in the image.
They then wandered around the Glebe Park Apartments to the garden bed beside Corranderk St, where the track shows a knot.  There were 11 birds in the clan today. 
Feeding time: I think this is a seed.
Note the engorged eye.  I am unsure what the food is,
More food being passed,

Some food residue, note also the iridescence.
A heap!
A couple of Red Wattlebirds looked on.
A stoush?  Two birds pecked at the one laying down, but they might have just been preening it!
Eventually they flew to the trees in Glebe Park where 7 of them got friendly,
On the 5th of March we made 2 searches for the Choughs at about 1230 hours and 1500 hours but failed to find them.  According to HANZAB a clan's territory could be between 20 and 50 hectares.  The map below shows a 20 Ha area in red (effectively where we have searched) and a 50 Ha area with light blue boundaries.  
We did check the area between the 20Ha area and Parkes Way in our 1500hrs search on the 5th with no success so suspect that the Choughs were:
  1. further into Reid than we went; or
  2. across in Commonwealth Park; or
  3. (most likely) roosting quietly - although 'quiet' is not a common attribute of Choughs - in the trees somewhere; or
  4. Somewhere else.
On our morning walk of 6 March we intended to explore the in-scope area of Commonwealth Park a little more, as a check on option 2.  

In fact option 4 got support: as we got to the corner of Allara St and Constitution Ave I could hear Chough calls coming form the direction of London Circuit.  My first thought was they were coming from a courtyard on the Northern side of Constitution Ave but that was bare of Choughs.  Eventually I saw 5 Choughs perched on light poles in Rattenbury's Disaster (aka the building site for the tramline).  That has led me to add a third territory to the map with yellow boundaries and today's site as a red X: the new area, including all spots I have ever seen Choughs in the vicinity of Glebe Park is 32Ha.
Around noon I went out to try to relocate the Choughs.  To my surprise they were coming out of the Casino carpark heading in to Glebe Park: see red arrow in map above.


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