MYNA BIRDS

As a young person in the 1960 to 1970 era, I well remember watching the cricket at the SGC in Richy Beneau's prime cricket years and it was interesting to hear the MYNAS all CHIRPING under the grandstand, "Wark, Tutor, Tutor,Tutor" they would chirp continually especially late in the day as the shadows lengthened, in about 1975 this bird started to appear in the inner suburbs of Wollongong and somehow survived the horrific gale of June 1975, by about 1985 it had made its way out to Albion Park and by 1995 even to Kangaroo Valley, Foxground, Exeter, Robertson and now is widespread and like a swarm of flies throughout the Illawarra in fact the state. In Melbourne in late 2007, I was at a train Station in the inner suburbs and noticed just how plentiful this pest bird was there also and commented to a commuter a local about 40 just how many of these there were, he told me of being on a train to work one day and as the train stopped at a station a MYNA entered the carriage and was to late going for the door, which closed on him and as the train gained speed MYNA became very upset, screaming "TUTE, TUTE, TUTE", that little call of alarm they make when upset, MYNA was not the only one upset, the passengers were all upset also for the MYNA was above them and they in their work uniforms, about 4 stations down track they were successful in getting the MYNA out and he immediately flew upline, no doubt to be reunited with his mate.