[Birding-Aus] Variegated wrens and red backed wrens living together

[Belinda Cassidy]

We've spent the week trying to get some pictures of the local wrens in
Brisbane. Its a great feeling, knowing that a pretty big colony is thriving
right in the middle of a smallish city forest, tightly packed in along with
many potential predators including what appears to be a nesting pair of
raptors (still to be ID'd as Goshawks or Collared sparrowhawks), magpies,
drongos, Pied & grey butcherbirds..

They have a nice habitat, consisting of a lantana undergrowth that extends
well into the forest, with vines growing all over it, and some tall grass
that kind of joins the pockets of lantana.

We were surprised to find that the `colony' consists of both red backed
fairy wrens and variegated fairy wrens, at differing levels of maturity with
many interesting hybrid feather colourings in the young males.

They are very active right now, and gathering dry grass and `fluff' for
their nests. here are some pics for anyone who loves wrens like we do:

1. Immature Red backed fairy wren:
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/wren.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/RedBackedFairyWren1.jpg

2.His Mate collecting bits for her nest:
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/RedBackedFairyWren2.jpg

3.Immature Variegated fairy wren, with just few blue facial feathers:
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/VariegatedFairyWren.jpg

4. Adult Male variegated fairy wren:

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/VariegatedFairyWren4.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/VariegatedFairyWren5.jpg

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[Denise Goodfellow]

Belinda
I found Red-backed and Variegated Fairy-wrens living together near the
junction of the Carpentaria and Tablelands Highway in December, 2007. Two
adult males sitting almost side by side -beautiful.
Denise

[peter crow]

Hello Belinda,

Variegated and Red-backed Fairy-Wrens are quite common together in
Brisbane. In places add superb to the mix.

Peter

> http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/
> VariegatedFairyWren4.jpg
> http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/Serenity-photos/