Cranky bird had an eye on Gerry

A PARTICULARLY protective butcher bird almost cost Gerry Leahy from Beerwah his eye while he was innocently minding his own business on his verandah last week.

“He bombed me on my own verandah, hit me with his beak and was half an inch from taking my eye out,” Gerry told GC&M News.

Not as infamous as the Magpie for its territorial venom, Gerry said the Butcher Bird had a nearby nest and had been targeting him, but usually just flapping close by or using its chest. “I haven’t had a headache for 100 years, but I’m feeling pretty achy right now,” he said.