The mynas have moved in

The sun came out briefly in Melbourne the other day. All I could find to photograph was this Common myna. They have definitely moved in to our backyard since the loss of our border collie (an outside dog) in 2009. The new pooch is very much an indoorsy sort of beast. With the onset of winter we are not spending as much time on the deck and outside - the mynas have taken over!

Unfortunately this bird species appears to have affected native bird populations. You can't move around Melbourne for any length of time without seeing them. The common myna is listed as one of the World's Top 100 worst invasive species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN website here).

The Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) in typically aggressive pose

Chloe (1993-2009)

We think Digbee was born around 2005. We got him from the RSPCA in March this year. It would be fair to say he is sometimes more at home when indoors!