One thirsty parrot
Mallee Ringneck Parrot
This week I’ve migrated from my office to our sun room because of the heat. The office isn’t air conditioned and the sun room is lovely.
This gives me the opportunity to keep an eye on several of our bird baths. During the hot weather the bird baths play an important role in attracting bird life to our garden.
Yesterday I had excellent views of one of our resident Mallee Ringneck parrots. It had come in to have a good drink. This one didn’t have a bath as they sometimes do. Quite a few species really start splashing the water everywhere, just like a mini-sprinkler. Don’t they know we have strict watering restrictions here in South Australia?
Related articles:
- Thirsty times for the birds
- Time for a bath – includes a complete list of birds that have visited our bird bath – and some animals too.
Galah
Galah
The well known Australian parrot, the Galah, is a very common bird in our district. Flocks numbering in the hundreds are common sights. I can confidently say that this is one species that we would see every day of the year, either flying overhead or perching somewhere in our garden.
Flocks are very common, as are pairs flying overhead. Occasionally I will see a single bird, like the one in the photo above. This one came in to have a drink from one of our bird baths recently.
Providing watering points like this in a home garden is the most effective way of supporting our native species, especially in the harsh, hot and dry climate we have here in southern Australia. If placed close to the house where you can see the birds but they can’t see you – or aren’t disturbed by you – can provide many hours of great birding.
Attracting small birds to your garden
Red Browed Finch
I regularly receive comments and questions about birds on this blog. I also receive comments and questions via my contact page here. I welcome these interactions with my readers.
This morning I received a question from a reader who is concerned about the finches in their garden.
We have been establishing a large area of garden for finches. Unfortunately I have a few crows now living around as they have decided my chook pen is a good restaurant. I have now cut off the egg supply but they are still around. Will they be deterring the finches from living here and are they a threat to them?
Thanks to Lee for that question.
Lee should be congratulated for these gardening aims. I assume that you have done your homework and planted bushes and grasses suitable to attract birds in general, not just finches. Finches – along with many of our smaller birds like honeyeaters, thornbills, weebills, chats, wrens and pardalotes – require a certain level of bushy shrubs to feel safe from predators. Plants like callistemons, grevilleas, melaleucas and hakeas provide protection, food sources, nesting sites and roosting sites.
Finches, being primarily seed eaters, also require a range of native grasses. These are becoming increasingly popular in gardens, not just to attract birds. Their colours and textures add significantly to the Australian feel of a native garden. Finches also love a reliable source of water, so a bird bath is essential to keep them around.
Crows, ravens, butcherbirds, currawongs and even magpies are all species that will raid the nests of smaller species of birds, including finches. They often take eggs and will also raid nests for the hatchlings. This is the natural cycle of life. Birds of prey such as falcons, hawks and kites will also raid nests, and also have the ability to take the adult birds resting or even flying.
The crows in your garden are probably resident birds. This means that they are not only present every day, they breed there or nearby. Your chook pen just provided them with an easy option. Closing access to the chook eggs was just a temporary setback to them. There must be sufficient food available for them to hang around.
Providing the finches have sufficient protection, a reliable food source, nesting and roosting sites, they should thrive in your garden. The crows and other predatory species I mentioned are a threat but probably not a deterrent.
For more information about Australian plants go to my wife’s blog: Mallee Native Plants
Good gardening – and enjoy your birds.
Diamond Firetail Finch
Birding while doing the washing
I think I might have commented on this before, but I can’t remember where. With over 800 blog posts it would take a while to find the reference to it.
Hang on a minute: this blog has a search facility. Doh.
A few second’s search brought up this post about seeing a Peregrine Falcon while I was hanging out the washing one day last year. And the search box at the top of each page on this blog will bring you to a list of articles from the archives that help you find what you are looking for. More articles about birds I’ve seen while hanging out the clothes can be found here.
Now – back to my original reason for writing this post.
On Tuesday morning I was hanging out the washing. Nothing unusual about that; I do it most Mondays except that we’ve now changed to Tuesdays because of our university studies, but that’s another story.
In the quietness of the morning I was suddenly aware of a splashing noise. I glanced over the fence at our neighbour’s bird bath. Water was spraying everywhere, as if they had a small sprinkler going on the lawn. Now here in South Australia we haven’t been allowed to use sprinklers for several years due to the water restrictions during the current drought. What’s more, it wasn’t one of the designated watering days anyway.
On closer inspection – I didn’t have a clear view of the bird bath – I discovered two White-winged Choughs having a glorious bath, water flying in all directions. It was a warm morning and they were taking full advantage of the water provided. Of course I didn’t have my camera on me.
You can read more articles about White-winged Choughs here.
White-winged Choughs in the heat
Yesterday I wrote about Magpies in the hot weather we are having. So far we have had a rather mild summer, but the last few days has brought in the hot weather we’ve been expecting for some weeks. More hot days are forecast for the coming week.
During warm weather our bird baths are well used by the resident birds in our garden. When it is hot there is a constant stream of birds of many different species taking advantage of the water for both drinking and bathing. It is great entertainment for us as well as providing a much needed resource for the birds.
At one stage yesterday I was amused by the family of eight White-winged Choughs who all came to have a drink. All at once. I am so pleased that they did not decide to have a bath as well. A single Magpie can almost empty the bird bath in minutes; I’d hate to think how little water would have been left after eight WW Choughs had finished bathing!
