⌾ : Ricoh GR IV Monochrome.
⚲ : Near home.

This photo was taken on a walk near my home and shows a bunch of Noisy Miners (there were actually more involved) harassing a Cockatoo.

The Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala) is a small grey bird with a black headpiece and high-res yellow beak. They are endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia, and for a long time I wrongly thought/assumed they were an introduced pest. The truth is that this particular species is native.

I strongly dislike these birds. They are aggressive and noisy and gang up on other birds in my garden. Birds that I am fond of, like Eastern Rosellas and Magpies and Willy Wagtails and sparrows¹. Noisy miners are little shits.

Noisy miners are gregarious and territorial; they forage, bathe, roost, breed and defend territory communally, forming colonies that can contain several hundred birds. Each bird has an ‘activity space’, and birds with overlapping activity spaces form associations called ‘coteries’, which are the most stable units within the colony. The birds also form temporary flocks called ‘coalitions’ for specific activities, such as mobbing a predator. […] The noisy miner is a notably aggressive bird, so that chasing, pecking, fighting, scolding, and mobbing occur throughout the day, targeted at both intruders and colony members.

–Wikipedia

About a week ago I found a little crumple of baby feathers shaking out on the pavers in front of my house. It was the middle of a hot day and he was in obvious distress, beak open, panting. I have no idea how he got there.

I hate these shitty birds, but this one was near death and I found myself fetching some water and a teaspoon and holding it gently so its tiny long tongue could drink it in.

These birds are the worst, and I untangled its feathers and unfolded it as best I could and perched it up on a sun protected branch in a nearby tree. I did not think things would go well for the little fella. I named him Buster.

They are nasty, aggressive bullies, and I checked on him throughout the day, and late in the evening and thought about him more than made sense. I even tried to feed him a small worm without success.

These birds are the devils work, and on the second day he actually looked a little better. More like a baby bird than a pile of dirty feathers, and he was looking around and chirping once or twice. He looked lonely but not fragile. There seemed to be some other Miners in the vicinity who were showing interest. I hoped they might be mum and dad.

Yup. Total little shits, and on the third day he was gone. I looked around on the ground for any trace of catastrophe. No sign. He was either taken by a cat or wandered off to his elsewhere future… or perhaps (and I am going to make this my belief) he was reunited with his kin.

Whatever his fate, I wish Buster well. I really hope he made it.
Noisy Miners are indeed shitty little birds, until you get to know one.

1. I have seen these birds locked in furious battle with their own reflection in a car window or side mirror ↩︎