Hobbies and Crafts

I had a flock of Satin Bower Birds in the yard today and spent many hours watching them from the kitchen window. We still have some green grass in the yard and they were busy picking and eating the grass and clover and stayed till after lunch having a great time. I did not see any mature male birds. I am excited as last year only had a scarce few around and this year a whole large flock of about 50 birds.

They have beautiful eyes that are a very bright blue/lilac colour. The female and young (immature males) are an olive green with a scaly front of white/beige and green. The male bird is the same colour as the female until 7 years old then he changes to black, huge change in colour. The male birds love to collect anything that is blue, pegs, glass, milk bottle tops and rings. The milk bottle tops in Australia were changed so they break as a lot of birds were lost to the blue ring around the milk.

When moving around on the ground the Satin Bower Bird, hops around and it can be quite commical.

These birds are well worth a google, that way you can see why I am so taken with them.

Gail

Hi Gail, nice to see you on here. I used to love our emails of you describing the different birds you have over there. I am off to google the bower birds after a cuppa, they are one bird I love to watch when we have programmes of tropical birds on. Although come to think of it, we haven't had any recently.
speak soon.

Caz xx

Hi Caz, like you love my bird watching. These are such a lovely bird to watch. When they are under the trees they are very well camouflaged and usually do not spot them until they move. Have had the odd one around for the past week, so exciting that there is a large flock around now.

Forgot to mention, the Satin Bower Bird only flocks in winter, usually they are more solitary.

Gail

PS: up until recently I had 5 cats, now have four and they never touch the birds, they will catch mice and usually the mice are still alive so can let them go.

Hello Gail and Caz:o))

Will google the Satin Bower bird in a mo, sound wonderful and oh so lucky to have them in your back garden.

jude :o)

Gail that is a fascinating looking bird, much more exotic than our usual starlings!!!

Ann
glos

Today I have the usual magpies (do not confuse these with the English magpie) and butcher birds, and yes I do feed them. They are very friendly and love to bludge a feed, one magpie has a broken top beak so probably difficult to get a feed. They never bother my new hatched chickens either.

Also worth a google, I had a pair of Eastern Rosella's in my favourite tree today, they were grooming each other and then were feeding on the grass. These birds nest in tree hollows.

I do sometimes feed the parrots but only when there is not much food around, it is wonderful to watch them at the feeder as there are so many species that come in to feed. I must admit we have planted out our yard to encourage birds here with many varities of native trees, shrubs and plants.

There is a Red Wattlebird that hangs around most days, I have only ever seen the one bird. They love nectar out of flowers, and there are some ground cover gravillias flowering at the moment. I also have New Zealand flax plants, the Red Wattle bird really loves the flowers on this plant in summer, and for some reason seems to get slightly drunk from the nectar. They will also look for spiders and will pinch a bit of mince form the other birds when I feed them. I have seen the Red Wattlebird's tongue and it is up to 2 inches long past its beak.

Gail

PS: Just went to make a coffee and there is now a flock of Eastern Rosellas in the yard and putting on a very colourful show. There are also a few Satin Bower Birds around again today.

Hi everyone
It appears that some blue tits have changed their tune.
This interesting article was on radio 4 this morning.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8079000/8079780.stm
Did anyone else hear it?

Wow Gail that must have been a specacular site. Are they noisy?
Von

Gail, You have some lovely birds in Oz.
Trying to find out about a tiny bird we saw in Tenerife. It was very small and quick, light brown with speckly front, like a tiny little thrush. We thought it was a canary at first because they are small, but they are yellow/greeny coloured and this one was definitely brown, tried to photograph it but it was much too quick for me.

Hi Von, not the Rosella is not noisy, it has a lovely voice when it does sing, though it is rarely heard. Also our magpies have a lovely singing voice as does the butcher bird. They will hang around my back door singing until I feed them then sing again after. If they are not around I only have to whistle and they will be here within minutes.

I never take it for granted living in Australia, we have such beautiful wild life here.

The Cockatiels that Caz has, we call a Quarrion, I used to see in very large flocks in the western areas of NSW. Now when they are all together there is a lot of noise as even in the wild they are very talkative.

The noisiest birds are the black cockatoos when they arrive, they come in after gum nuts and pine nuts for a couple of weeks each year. They really do make a din. Thank goodness the pine trees are not too close to us but they still make a racket.

Hi Ann just spotted you there, will try and find your bird and have a look.

Gail

Good morning everyone:o))
Another gorgeous day:o)

Gail....wow so many fantastic birds, you are so lucky:o)) do you have a digital camera??

Did anyone see the Bird that has nested in UK for the first time in a 177 yrs, l think it was the Gt Bustard, check this site out, amazing after all this time :

http://www.rspb.org.uk/

We had a GOLDFINCH on the front lawn this morning, l was so excited and l could'nt call Vic properly because of my voice (yep its still not back properly). Could'nt get a picture, the nets were in the way:o(

Madoc's stitches will be coming out on Fri, he's not wearing the bucket now as the wound is healing nicely and its not itching, thank goodness. At the weekend we had the family here and the poor babes got knocked for six so we had to take it off.....he gets so excited anyway without that thing on his head!! lol. Baby E bought him a new toy, which he loves but she was'nt too sure about giving it to him , she thought it was for her...bless her:o))

New neighbourhood dog not moved in yet!!

Anyone seen Dormouse, hope she is well.

Take care:o)

jude :o)

Have just checked the great bustard, how wonderful to have them reintroduced and now breeding, very exciting.

My passion is raptors. I watched Animal Planet when they had a programme about the white tailed eagle being reintroduced to parts of England. Apparently they still had a few breeding pairs in Wales. If I remember correctly I think it was to the Scottish coast. Mull I think.

It is wonderful to think so much is put into these projects to reinstate wildlife.

This is my favourite eagle and a site.

http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/wedge_tailed_eagle.htm

Gail

Morning all, Jude that is one bird I miss Goldfinch, we had them nearly every day down at other house, they brightened up the trees. I loved to watch them, also the long tailed tits and coal tits as well as the blue and great tits. I'm beginning to miss my garden because of the birds.
Gail my Cocky is going to get noisy soon, he talks a lot, and usually sensible words like 'what you doing' or where you going' if I get up to do something. Since we have been here he loves the police cars with their sirens going, gets excited when he hears them coming. The little b****r is now trying to copy them, soon we will have police sirens in the house all day.

I would love to be able to come to your house for a month and see what you have in your garden, you are so lucky. Better go , warden has just beeped me to say she is on her way up.

Caz

Can't stop......new pictures on the blog,these are from Ann's holiday:o))

jude

Caz....are'nt they gorgeous:o)) not seenit today though. Bought some more nyjer seed yesterday.

Our little sparrow that sits on the fence is still there all on his own again, Vic has been putting seed down on the gate and he's been eating it, he makes such alot of noise allday!!! i've actually asked him (politely) to shussssh...lol

Madoc had stitches out today (not tomorrow), alls fine, he just loves going to the vets and comes home tail wagging even faster and harder than when he went, he's such a lovely dog:o)))) l'll give him a whistle in amo and he'll be up onto my bed like a shot whilst l read:o))

nite nite:o)

jude

PS....l have more pics from Ann and Jean, will put them up tomorrow afternoon:o)

Not put them on yet, sorry.Will do hopefully before l go to bed.

Hope everyone is ok:o)

jude

Hi everyone,

Been busy in the garden and house work just had to be done very boring.
Jude still have not sent pics.

Afternoon.......where is everyone??

Thats ok Bell, l am so behind at the moment, have quite a few pics to add!!

This past few days we have had: 2 racing pigeons, a family of 4 Gold finches:o)) Woodpecker and babe, baby Robin and Greenfinches. Hopefully this afternoon l will have all the pics on the blog.

Off't now to sort it.

Where are Tec & Dormouse??

jude :o)

Phewwww atlast....pics on the blog now:o))

just mine to sort out:o)

jude x

Hello chaps and chapesses; haven't been on here for far too long!

What's the blog? Can I join, please? If not, OK; thought I'd ask anyway *waits for aaahhhs of sympathy*.

Took a photo of a wood-pigeon chick today, beautiful babe.
x

I am sure that Jude will let you know the blog address Glenys. Love to see the photo you took on there.