Herons and other birds

I have enjoyed reading the posts on this forum for some time, and especially in the birds and nature sections.
I live in country Australia and have lots of bird life around to enjoy. This week I have been having a laugh at some herons (ardea novaehollandiae) stalking around my lawn. They look so graceful as they slowly walk around. They are winter visitors in this part of the country. However, looks aren't everything even in the bird world. They have a raucous voice and use it as well as their long beaks to scare off other birds. The 'Noisy Minors'(a medium sized honey and insect eater) usually work as a 'gang' but even they have been chased off. Yesterday I watched a Kookaburra chased off too. I suspect the regular bird population around here will be glad to see the herons go.
btw I hope I have done this posting correctly.

You did just fine, Mikk. I am glad to know that you are enjoying the topics in the two nature forums. Since hardly anyone besides myself ever posts to them, I was beginning to wonder whether anyone even reads them, and whether it was worth the bother to continue posting. I hope you will participate here a lot - it would be nice to have someone to discuss God's beautiful creation with, instead of just talking to myself!

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

[This message has been edited by Cathy Sears (edited July 01, 2001).]

Although we do have a couple of types of herons in Michigan, I don't see them very often. I do remember seeing a bird last year that I think was a green heron, if I remember correctly. It was perched on a tree on the bank of the creek that runs beside and behind our property.

Just last Sabbath I saw four sandhill cranes in one of the fields I pass by on my walks. They were too far away for me to see them very clearly, but I identified them by their size, the way they moved, and their calls. I would have liked to get closer, maybe even attempt to photograph them (I had my camera with me), but the poison ivy grows very thickly all along the side of the road, so once it comes up, which is the case now, I am confined to the road itself on my walks.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

Thanks for replying, Cathy. The heron to which I referred is similar in size to the Cattle Egret - but stands taller. The egrets are always here - walking around the feet of the cattle as they graze. Right now there are also quite a number of Ibis around - both white and 'straw-necked'. Don't know if you see any of these at any time. They are also a big bird - even bigger than the herons - and its quite a site to see a dozen or so walking over the field and picking up insects and grubs.
Our Heavenly Father has certainly made an abundant bird-life to remind us of His care for us.

Mikk, I looked in my bird book. There are a few types of ibis in very small coastal areas in the US, mostly in the south and west. We don't have them here, and I can't remember ever seeing any in a zoo. I believe the largest bird in Michigan, my home state, is the great blue heron, followed by the sandhill crane.

I have seen cattle egrets. They were very common in the part of Florida where we lived for a short time, but they do not live around here at any time of the year.

While I have lived most of my life in Michigan, my husband and I did live in a few other states for brief periods during a four-year period. One of the most memorable things from those years is the variety of birds we saw that we have never seen in Michigan.

I especially remember the time when we were at our kitchen table at our house in Ortonville, Minnesota, overlooking Big Stone Lake, which forms the border with South Dakota for several miles. We saw a large group of big white birds swimming in our direction from the middle of the lake near an island located there. We thought that they were swans, which we were used to seeing on lakes in Michigan, yet they didn't look quite right. As they drew nearer, we finally realized that they were white pelicans! We had never see pelicans in the wild, and did not realize they lived on inland lakes. We learned soon afterward that they nest in large numbers on that island every year.

We saw many other beautiful and interesting birds that were very common in those places where we lived, which we will never see in Michigan. While there are so many beautiful birds around the world, most of which I will never see live in this life, I feel very blessed that God has placed such a wide variety right here in one place. And to think that He did it all for us! He didn't need to - we could have gotten along all right with only a few kinds - but He has given us, in all of nature, such a wide variety of beautiful living, and even non-living thigs to enjoy, we could never run out of new beauties to delight our senses. I really feel sorry for those who have no interest in nature, who find their pleasure in only man-made amusements and things. The things that give me the greatest pleasure and delights in my life are free of charge, and nearly unlimited in quantity and variety.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

We've got a Great Blue Heron that posts duty in a nearby creek as predictably as the local constabulary visits donut shops on their rounds.

They are large, graceful birds that must eat their fair share of fish. You may have read in an earlier post of mine that one of them tried to take goldfish out of a neighbour's pond. After they put strings above their back yard, the heron has decided to go elsewhere.

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You have done many good things for me, Lord, just as you promised. I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge. Psalm 119:65-66 NLT

I missed your previous post Andrew. Something similar happened to my neighbour. He was going to start a little industry growing a kind of fresh water crayfish that were bringing a lot of money on the fish market. It started great until a heron discovered the pond! He didn't have the money necessary to completely net the pond so his new industry failed. The heron must have really believed it had a personal feast table!

I've read a lot of these posts, and attempted to contribute before, but I felt like a loner on this side of the planet! Now that another Aussie has contributed, I don't feel as shy.
I had an interesting encounter with a spoonbill (I have no idea of correct names, sorry) in New Farm Park, in Brisbane. The council had opened an experimental camp for the homeless, and when I went to see how it was operating, there was a very tame spoonbill strolling around, keeping within eyeshot of a mauled loaf of bread that had been placed out for it. It was incredibly tame, and was obviously liked by the inhabitants. It was quite a tall bird, black and white. Pelicans live on the Brisbane river, and a few of those were on the river bank nearby. They always strike me as being quite intelligent.
In my backyard I have a pair of crows who try in vain to crack open the macadamia nuts from my tree. Occasionally a borer will drill into one, and they go crazy pecking to get at the sweet flesh. I usually break them open for the birds if they're not edible. But this has backfired, because the crows know that the nuts contain food, so they pick them up, and hide them! I watch them carefully dig a shallow hole, push the nut into the ground, then pluck some grass and drop it over the place to conceal it. Sometimes they drag leaves or sticks over the top. I've seen them hide other food between the tiles on roofs, or under rubbish in the drains. They're very clever.
There is a family of magpies - 3 of them - who stroll casually around our neighbourhood. I seldom see them fly. They walk down the footpath, visiting all the friendly homes. They regularly visit us, and my son loves to feed them. One will take food from our hands. When the crows see food being distributed, they fly down, but the magpies fluff themselves up, adopting a pose reminiscent of vultures, and first, scream at them, then they sing their warning song. Even though the crows are twice to three times their size, they won't take on an angry magpie! Peewees (magpie larks) wait on the sidelines to glean leftovers, while the tiny willie-wagtail attacks everything, including us! I've seen wagtails attack crows mercilessly. The crows merely duck their heads away from the tiny aggressor, whose bravery exceeds its wisdom.
We have many varieties of birds whose names I don't know. Multi-coloured green parrots screech across backyards, seeking nectar and tiny fruits. A small grey and green bird with a hilarious cacophony of a call struts its stuff once a day. Little black birds the size of pigeons fluff up the ruffles on the sides of their faces, and contest territorial rights to the macadamia tree. Noisy miners, apostle birds (who get about in noisy groups) and kookaburras are daily visitors.
The times I don't like are when the crows gang up on possums. Any possum unwise enough to be stirring during daylight will be attacked en masse by dozens of crows. (We live near a reserve within a city.) They usually can hide under the eaves of houses, but some must be unlucky.
I don't understand how anyone can delight in nature, while believing in evolution. Nothing so intelligent and beautiful as our abundant birdlife on this planet could have been a series of accidents.

Zyph & Mikk,

I'd love to see what the birds you are telling about look like. Do you know of any websites that have photos of australian birds? The websites thread lists a couple of online field guides for North American birds. Do you know of any similar sites for Australian birds? If so, please e-mail me the URL's, and I will add them to the list.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

For the benefit of the Americans - which I guess is most of you! - Aussie magpies are a quiet different bird from the ones over there. There are pics and also the sound of them on the site that Cathy has now transferred to the other topic. (Thanks Cathy). It was a bit disconcerting when I saw my first Magpie in the USA. Not at all what I expected. Nice to see you posting re Aussie birds Zyph.

Today I cooked some brown rice and put it in a dish on top of the avery. In no time the garden was filled with wax-eyes and the dish of rice was consumed.
Another good winter feed for birds is to mix melted beef suet with bird seed. Stir in peanut butter. Pour into a large pie plate and let it set . Then cut it into wedges and watch the birds drool.

Zita

Cathy, I have responded to your bird-watching, but for some reason the posts are not showing up.
Zita

Zita,

Sometimes when you are returned to the topic, your browser will load the page from memory instead of from the Interent, for faster loading. When that happens, you need to refresh the page. Then you'll get the updated page with your post on it.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

Thank you Cathy, they have all showed up today without my doing anything. I did look several times too, but will know what to do next time.
Our winter has turned extremely cold, so it is a pleasure to feed the wildlife today.

Zita

Instead of usig melted fat, I have used brown rice and warmed the peanut butter so as to mix in easy.
It has brought a flock of wax-eyes into my garden, they usually arrive in town when there is bad weather in the mountains. They are just loving the food, and it's great I don't need to buy beef dripping!
When it has stopped raining I will add birdseed.

I was also told today that bread is the worst thing to give birds. It is not a natural food, and is too heavy and stops them from flying.

Zita

I've heard that too Zita. They'll eat it, but it's recommended that you not give it to them.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

While I agree that processed food of any sort is not as good for birds as food in its natural state, there are some birds who are natural vacuum cleaners, and they appear to have cast-iron stomachs. Crows, and their various relatives seem able to thrive on such a variety of things that I feel bread might be of little risk to them. There could be some truth in the statement that it makes them unable to fly, but I think my crows (they actually may be ravens) are just too fat. They sound like elephants landing on the roof in the morning! I don't often give the local birds anything but grain or fresh meat - the magpies and pee-wees love it as much as the crows - but if I feel guilty about throwing away food, I feed it to the crows, who will eat most things - even Brazilian cherries, which most native animals avoid. This salves my conscience, and fills their bellies. They hide a lot of food in the ground, anyway, and the ants make sure it's returned to the soil. They have become very naughty lately, plucking the green banana passionfruit off the vine, and pecking holes in it to eat the juicy contents. Any avocadoes on my or my neighbours tree is fair game for food. When I had an abundance of egg tomatoes growing, the crows would notice them ripening befor I did, and would feast first. Still, animals in the city need food, and their need may be more urgent than mine. I have a paw-paw (papaya) tree growing on the footpath, and possums compete with passers-by to get the ripened fruit!

It's a bit like the bread and milk we have put out for the hedgehogs for years.
Hedgehogs actually love it, but it can kill them. Gives them the skitters and makes them ill.
So now I buy tins of cat food or feed them mince.

I love pawpaws and I wish I had a tree in my front yard. The possums wouldn't get a sniff!

Which reminds me of the possum I had when I was in primary school. Had to feed it with an eyedropper, which meant taking it to school and keeping it in my desk so I could feed it often.
Then after school I would take him to the dairy and buy him a penny ice-cream, and he would sit on the counter and eat it.
Wouldn't get away with that these days!
But that was the wonderful world of the 50's

Zita

Tried to post this on the web site thread but it was closed. Hope this is ok here.

http://animal.discovery.com/cams/bird.html?ct=3b5793aa

Amelia

Actually Amelia, members aren't allowed to post URL's, and there are rules for what URL's even moderators can post. That is why the thread is locked. But I'm checking all the URL's everyone has posted, and they are all fine. As soon as I have the time to put them all together, I'll post them in the websites thread and delete them from the members' posts.

So go ahead and keep sharing those nature sites here, and I'll see to it that they get put in the right place.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

Amelia, I enjoyed that site you posted thank you.
Zita

A good site to see NZ Native Birds including endangered is www.piperpat.co.nz/nz/animals.html#p
Has lots of links that are well worth exploring.
Lovely winter Sabbath afternoon activity.
Zita

Thanks for the NZ bird sites. I especially enjoyed the link to the Aotearoa - Good morning site with all its recordings of NZ birds. Haven't heard these since I left NZ as a teen!

Yes, the bird calls are delightful.
Here on the Concert Programn (radio) every morning at 6am there is a bird call that changes every day.Delightful way to start the day.
I sent the site to a friend in America and when she played it her puppy went crazy trying to find the birds!

Glad you enjoyed them Mikk

Zita

My computer isn't very good, and I can't enjoy some sites. My son blew up the speakers (now, there's a story) so I can't hear the birdsongs until I can afford to replace them. I know New Zealand has some spectacular bird life - and sadly, some have died out from the introduction of foreign species. I have always been fascinated by the fact that so many NZ birds go on foot. Even the now-extinct (I think) ground dwelling (or was it just ground-nesting?) parrot. I don't think there are any other parrots which wander about, are there?
The kiwi is the cutest bird on earth! What a little battler, to be blind-ish, and stricken with eggs of their size!
I had a great time today feeding our magpies (who apparently think they're New Zealanders, as they go on foot mostly!). They flew up onto my back landing, and I fed them meat, which they took from my hand. This is the first time both have done this. They're very tame. The ravens (I still call them crows, but I know now that they're not) are copying the maggies, out of jealousy. But they won't come close if they can see your eyes. They sneak up only inches from me if I look away, but they are so smart that I wonder if I can ever get them eating out of my hand. They are a problem, upending my peg container regularly, but I don't really mind. The joy I experience from their antics is more than worth it.

Well that very aggressive Heron finally got what was coming to it! The magpies took to it and were definitely the winners! We are going to have a very early spring season here. Some of the birds are already beginning to nest - and of course that usually means the magpies get more aggressive. We had a very nasty pair when we moved here some time ago - and then my mum who lives next door began feeding them and they quietened down wonderfully. The only trouble was they knew the difference between her head and mine - and still dive-bombed me! Now we have at least 2 generations on and these ones now are much quieter. I don't try feeding the birds - wouldn't be fair! My cat would take it as an invitation to a feast! It sure will be wonderful in heaven when the aggressive nature of all the animals will be gone.

My magpies are nesting - and what a nest they have! They have built quite a large stick nest, weaving some sticks around the nearest thing to anchor it - to the top of a wooden power pole. The nearest thing is a thick wire. They have no protection from the elements, and the nest looks like the first breeze will knock it down. Although there are a lot of trees in my suburb (there is a whole mountain which is a reserve), the crows, butcher birds and kookaburras compete with the maggies, and even though the maggies can beat a crow in a fight, i think the crows are smarter, and steal nesting material. I've seen the magpie - iI assume it's the male - defending it's power pole, and my heart aches for this little nesting pair. Mankind has destroyed so much, and all creation is affected. These, by the way, are not attacking birds. They say only 14% of magpies are aggressive, but they definitely won't attack those who feed them, as mikk says.

I well remember the magpies in the pine trees when I was 5 years old. Must have been nesting time, as I was divebombed by one - so kept well away from that paddock after that.
I learned to love magpies when our neighbour a few years ago had a pet one across the road. He could mimmick anything.
Then there was one at the wildlife park that used to walk around the grounds showing off his repetoire. I have never forgotton his special 'tune'.

I was amazed when I went to Australia and say the size of their magpies, so much larger than here.The house we stayed at had 15 magpies that were fed every day, they even came in if the sliding door was open and sat up on the microwave waiting! Very tame, and made our holiday a delight.

I always enjoy the magpies talking as I hike in the hills each morning. They have a beautiful clear song that adds joyfulness to the start of any day.

Zita

I discovered a delightful site the other night that I would like to share with you.
It shows several shots of a Weka.

When you get into the site, scroll down to Cape Foulwind, and click on that.
http://www.photo.net/nz/moon/land

Enjoy!
Zita

Thanks, Zita, for the site with the bird pics.

My dear little magpies are proud parents, of two babies, I think. It's hard to see from the ground! They are fastidious workers, chasing food all day.

My son checked on the internet, and found that they do well on a mixed diet, and that dog food is good for them, so we bought a dog roll, and they have been feeding from our hands voraciously at times. (We don't feed them all the time. They need to eat other things, I think. But it has been so dry lately, that the insects aren't as abundant as they should be at this time of the year.)

The male was always very reluctant to eat from our hands, but he has dropped most of his nervousness now. They both walk into our laundry looking for us. We hear the little "tap tap" of their feet on the vinyl flooring.

And one crow has taken food from my hand twice. It was agonising! And the first time, it hit my hand hard in its nervousness to grab and run. I don't have enough time to really try to tame them, but I'll persist with the occasional feeding thing. These birds are SMART. They decided the magpies could beat them when no food was involved, so now they wait until the maggies have their beaks full, and they mug them! They steal their food and fly off. The magpies have clearly defined the no-fly area near their nest, and the crows have moved to the front of our house, but they go on raids occasionally. And at times the magpies allow it. They're probably too tired to argue. They are also having territorial disputes with another childless magpie pair at present.

One of the grey noisy miners has learned to catch tid bits I throw to him. He'd be around more but the magpies are obsessive with territory. I was really surprise he caught on so quicky. He's only a small bird, but he watched me one day, and the first time I threw food towards him, he swooped and caught it.

What a delight. I'll soon have visits from the baby magpies, and I'm sure they will be even tamer than their parents. And once the mad territorial thing is over, a lot more of the fabulous local birdlife will make its way back into my yard.

I sometimes try to imagine how intense God's delight must be when we approach Him, even tentatively, like the wild creatures, and the realisation makes me feel loved.

Summer is on its way in Australia while winter is on its way here in Canada, however, we are still enjoying summer like weather so far this Fall or Autumn as some call it.

I wonder if we can woo the birds to us next Spring.

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

There was this news item in the paper this week.
A local man who walks to work for exercise, cuts through the city cemetary.

This week he got hit on the back of the neck from behind. He spun around, hands in the air to protect himself from the next attack, only to see a whirr of black and white wings.......
I think he will be finding a different rout until nesting is over.

Zita

That reminds me of a movie many years ago called "The Birds" in which the birds were making organized attacks against a community in the USA.

I don't recall anything like that happening in North America.

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

Just testing. I'm having trouble with this topic, and I want to see if this message shows on my computer.

Greetings from Borneo, perhaps the closest place to bird watcher heaven! I live by a rice paddy and a jungle swath, so I get a few sightings alright. But I'm hesitant to post here, since these regional. Is it fair for me to post if you can't look them up in your books?

Post away, Ikan!

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited October 12, 2001).]

Well...I suppose a list of sightings is a start, but firstthe setting. We live in a semi-rural area, by an old paddy field very grown over. It was used last year by an old Malay gentleman farmer to raise his waterbuffalo, which dissappeared at the annual celebration of the sacrifice of Isaac that devote muslims celebrate. So there were a pair of Chinese egrets following him around. Now that he is gone, the White breasted waterhens hold sway.(Would it help to use latin names here?)Our thrill is the sighting of a male Crimson Sunbird[Aethopyga siparaja] on our window grill;there may be a nest of his in our A/C housing gap!!
This week I am planning to visit the christian natives (ex-headhunters)in the interior, where the ten species of Horn-bills still rule the jungle....pray for sightings...!

At last! I can see the missing posts. I couldn't read anything after September 14th for a while there, even my own post.

Ikan, I'm SO jealous of you! The local bird life in Jambu Forest sounds so exotic, and I know the colours of tropical birds are wonderful. I'll get back to this later, but I look forward to hearing more from you.

I'm still looking forward to hearing from you, Ikan. The birds in your area sound beautiful.

Zita, do your magpies attack, too? And how much smaller than the Oz magpies are they?

My dear little maggies lost a baby. It was big enough to fly - in fact its sibling was flying - but it went missing, and I'm certain a local cat could give us more details. The surviving baby is an on-going challenge to its frantic parents. When it's on the ground, the father drives it mad, pecking at its head and legs, jumping on it, and grabbing its feet with his, and tripping it, so it falls on the ground. I don't understand this behaviour. At other times he feeds it, and still attacks all other birds in the neighbourhood. But when feeding, he eats first, then takes what's left to the baby. The female is a shadow of her former self. She feeds the baby first, and only after it declines further food, does she eat a little herself. But she always keeps the last mouthful, following the baby for several minutes to ensure it really doesn't want more, before she will eat that last bit. While the male looks sleek and fat, the female is super thin. And she gets dirty, but doesn't seem to groom herself as well as the male. (Any of this sound familiar??)

The male crow continues to eat from my hand, but not every time. His anxiety is so high some days that he simply can't trust me, but if he comes close, I still feed him. On a few occasions he has eaten, not flown off, then taken food a second time. To me, this is a real triumph, especially when the magpies aren't around to set an example. If I call, and he can hear me, he flies down to my back porch every time. (Although some days the magpies will not allow this!)

And the exciting news is that the female crow is sitting on eggs. She's been there for more than a week, so it shouldn't be too many more days before babies arrive. The last breeding pair who adopted us hatched two babies (separate occasions). The first one was hit by a car. My son picked up the body to dispose of it, and they thought we'd killed it, of course, and were wary after that. However, with the second baby, they still brought it here. They were such eager parents that they stole another baby from somewhere - perhaps it was an orphan - and adopted it as well. But the babies didn't survive, sadly. Both died on the transformer located beside our house. During one of the regular "crow wars", the new - and young - pair took over the territory.

I used to have pets. Now I get more enjoyment out of watching God's creatures in the wild. The city is no place for them, but they eke out a living in spite of it. The magpie nest is still on the power pole. I wonder if they will use it again next year?

The warfare and death of any of these wild ones is sad as it too is the result of sin in this world.

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

It's happening again! I can't read my previous post or anything that may have been added after that. I hope it rights itself sooner than last time.

Hi zyph, magpies, such an interesting bird arn't they.
Our magpies are not a lot smaller, but enough to notice the difference.
Out walking in a park yesterday, I noticed one chasing a blackbird away from the pinetrees - their favourite nesting tree here.
So yes, they do attack here, one has to be real careful not to upset them!

I was at a friends place recently, and we enjoyed watching a pair of thrushes feeding their baby in the corner of the neighbours roof. Two days later I visited again, and discovered the baby dead in her garden.Tail not grown enough for it to fly, it must have hit the ground. Very sad, as it was a female thrush, and I love their spotted chests.

A few days previous I had had to rescue a blackbird from the neighbours cat. Again, it was half grown, but couldn't fly. As we didn't know where it came from I brought it home and attempted to feed it.

Next morning I heard it chirping in it's cage on the washing machine and investigated.As I tried to again feed it, I noticed a blackbird outside on the fence - worms in it's mouth. The father! Then the Mother appeared! They had found their baby! I very quickly returned it to the tree, after making a phone call to the neighbour and waking them up, so I could borrow their ladder and get it up as high as possible.
The joys of spring and baby birds.

Zita

Our magpies now bring the baby - as big as its parents - to feed. The female has twice landed in my son's lap to feed from his hand. She is so tame. The baby hasn't taken food from us yet, but it's not very afraid, and stays close while the parents eat from our hands. Several times the male has been wandering along our hallway, presumably looking for us!
The crows have a baby, but I think juvenile crows were attacking it yesterday, and I hope it's alright. They have become as aggressive as the magpies were, with the female crow attacking my son. I've never seen crows do this before, and I believe they learned the behaviour from the magpies.
We were frantic last weekend. The crows were attacking a possum, mercilessly pecking its tail and face. It was bleeding and in shock. All we could do was put the jet spray from the hose on the crows. It worked, but they were determined. We bought the timber to make two possum boxes. The possums in the cities have no old-growth trees and logs to nest in and hide from the birds. We (rather inexpertly) nailed them together, and gave one to our neighbour. We've put ours on a branch of the macadamia tree, but it's not high enough. We don't have a ladder, and we're not really climbers. I'm hoping to borrow a ladder shortly, and to wire the thing up on a higher branch. I don't know if it will save the possum, but I hope one moves in eventually.
I'm so glad your blackbird baby was found by its parents, Zita. It's always a relief to hand the babies back - even wildlife babies! It's a miracle any of them survive when you see how hard the poor parents have to work to keep them fed and safe.

Today I had some time to kill while waiting for an appointment.
So I found a park bench beside the river that runs through our city. It is not a wide river, and rather shallow in the city area.

Islands have been created with lovely trees, ideal for watching bird life. A water wheel was nearby turning slowely.
In the middle I noticed 6 seagulls standing together in a group. they were all taking a bath. I had never seen seagulls doing that in fresh water before, and they had delightful mannerisms in their bathing ritual.
I had to drag myself away to keep my appointment, but it is a spot I will return to and enjoy.
Zita

I don't think I ever heard tell of birds attacking humans here in Canada and the United States.

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

Please forgive the long delay...but I have better news then a few sightings..I have met the most amazing Borneo bird authority in the bush!He was an Indian Britisher/ex-Major General of the Gurkhas (for you ladies, just read "as manly as they get" here). He spends months at a time in obsevation, is an adopted son of the local tribe of christian ex-headhunters and a very intense fellow.
I was in the villages, so not many birds around to speak of...
Here's his sight...
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/6980/brdpage1.html

I'm off to N.Z. for campmeeting. If I sight a real kiwi, I'll post!!

Hello Ikan, thank you for sharing that bird site. I shall enjoy exploring it.

If you want to see a Kiwi, you will need to come South! We have wonderful Kiwi houses here with a great breeding programn.

Have a safe trip

Joy and Peace
Zita

Come with me on my early morning sunrise walk.
We are heading for the Bridle Track, created in the 1800's from the Harbour, over the hills to the plains of Canterbuty.
It is a very well maintained walking track, which takes us up to the Summit Road, and from there you can either drop down to the harbour, or choose numerous other walking tracks.
today we are on the Crater Rim walk over looking a peaceful harbour. The day is still and the sun is rising.
The 1st birds I see are swallows. there is a group of them flying around me, some stopping to sing to me from the bushes. I answer back, and we have a delicious conversation.
I walk on and drop down into bush.I no sooner enter and a bellbird calls to me. so another conversation before it too flys off.
I settle on a rock by the side of the track and listen. So many birds calling, singing, flying. The fantail hovers, hoping I will disturb some breakfast as I brush the bushes as I resume the hike. We briefly exchange greetings.
I am heading back down the hill now, off track and on the sheep trails. I hear behind me the call of the magpies bidding me good day.
Yes, I thought, the good old magpie, always has the last say!

Joy and Peace has filled my soul
Zita

I am really happy this week that I have 4 new baby Zebra Finches hatched out in my No. 1 avery. Such pretty colours,their constant chirping and movement is a delight to watch.

The next project is to make a larger cage inside the avery for the pair of lovebirds I have in their. If I let them out the canaries would loose their feet! One did escape last week into the avery, but it was short lived when I retrieved the butterfly net from the front fish pond and captured it.
I have come to the conclusion that birds were made to fly, and that small cages are cruel.
But then not everyone can have an avery, let alone 2, and having a canary singing it's heart out on a wet winters day is enough to make anyone sing for joy.

Well here in Portland, Oregon you have to be very careful in the spring. Crows are nortorious for "divebombing" the unwary who get too close to a nesting site. Though not really attacking, perigren falcons in our downtown area have sideswiped a few people in their feisty persuing of pigeons.

Zita,

I have a wonderfully wacky 16 yr old lovebird named Halley. She had a mate up til last year when 17 yr old Cirrus died. I had others in the past, cockatiels and budgies and finches. I called the finches my "beep beeps". Had to pare them down due to traveling.

Amelia

Amelia, beeb beebs are a very accurate description of finches! I am really enjoying my 4 new ones.

Today we started to build the new lovebird cage inside the avery. It is being carefully inspected by the winged overseers.
I can hardly wait for it to be finished as I know how I am going to decorate it for them, and make it a more interesting place for them to enjoy.It will be large enough for them to have little flys.
I am so fortunate in having a handyman husband. I only have to tell him what I want, and it's made.

The new Love-bird cage was finished today. What fun we had making it together.
Because we built it into a corner, we used the existing back and side wall which gives one side with birdnetting and the front, which is the door as well. Top is enclosed, making a nice landing spot for the other avery birds.
I made a swing by taking a short piece of a branch 1 inch thick. Inserted a small cup hook each end, and attached a medium size peice of chain.It hangs from a cup hook in the centre.Freshly cut weeping willow gives them an instant bush.Sawdust on the floor makes it easy cleaning.
The lovebirds took a few minutes to leave their cage, but once they had, the squeels of delight was as good as a thank you. Now they will be able to fly.
Happiness is having a new cage.
Cost? about $15 all up. Amazing what one finds in a garage and garden shed.

Zita, I found your description of the walk around the hills very interesting. I have read in other places about some of these walking tracks - but I still have some questions, if you have the time for more descriptions. Are these walking tracks through private properties or public lands, and are they fenced off or open? Is the land open pasture or bush land? Your description of the birds was great. Thanks. Perhaps we could start a thread in the nature forum where others too might like to describe favorite hikes.

Hello Mikk,
don't mind the questions at all. It is great to share our respective lifestyles.
I like the idea of a thread for walks/hikes.
Would you like to start it Mikk?

The hikes that I do are on Crown Land.Sometimes they cross through private land. Farmers allow us access through their gates, and we respect that by closing them behind us.
Any fences on the walking track have styles over them with a post to help you up. The style usually has 3 steps up to make it easy.
The main tracks I hike on are open hills, covered in native grasses with pockets of Bush.
Like this morning I climed to the top of the hill and then took the track left that dropped down into a small bush area. This overlooks the harbour.But I will tell you more on the new thread.

I just wanted to say that on this first day of 2002, the baby magpie took food from my hand for the first time. It looked at me for a long time, but more from not knowing what to do than fear. Then after its parents took something, it took a tiny piece of meat, then flew off after its mother. I was absolutely thrilled. It's so cute. It is still with its parents - the long-suffering mother has the back of her head all feather-picked, so I hope I haven't disrupted their diet. I think, though, that it's not simple feather-picking, but persecution of some sort. Anyway, all three are still a family unit, but not nearly as hungry as previously. Our long, hot, hot days are noisy with insect sounds, so their diet is full. They don't seem to visit as much, though nothing wants to go into the hot sun. The crow baby is big and fat and sleek. I thought for a while that it had been killed. The male crow, who ate from my hand quite a lot, has now become wary again, and I don't mind, after seeing what they do to the possums. I want them to be afraid so I can chase them.
We see new birds around a bit, because the trees are in blossom. I always leave water - just in a bucket under the tap - out for birds, and this certainly attracts them. They perch on the edge of the bucket to drink and bathe. We have a privacy fence on two sides of our yard, so the local cats don't get to watch much. Kookaburras wake me sometimes at dawn with their raucous "laughter", but it's a nice sound, and I don't mind.

The macadamia tree and pecan tree are loaded again. I haven't finished last year's bounties! The birds find great shelter in the macadamia. The possum box we put up there has no possums, but I bet we'd find a big brown hairy spider if we put a hand into it. It won't be me doing this, I assure you! I hope something makes a home in it.

Zyph, that was a delightful post, I could just picture it all happening.It sure gives so much pleasure feeding the birds.

Yesterday we drove to a popular country picnic spot, and on the way came across a dead rabbit on the road which had already claimed the lives of two magpies. I asked our son to stop the car so I could remove the bodies, as other magpies were still their feeding off it.
I can't stand to see the dead creatures being run into the road, so I always keep a plastic bag in the boot for the purpose.

I also enjoyed zyph's wonderfully descriptive post.

We are in the colder part of the winter now with some snow on the ground.

The chicadees (I think I spelled that right) are appreciative of all the black oiled sunflower seeds we are feeding them from their feeder.

Now and then the squirrels invade them as they also love sunflower seeds.

Even our dog loves them as he often eats what falls onto the snow from the feeder.

Keep them posts coming.

It seems that everything in the neighbourhood comes to "snack" in our front and back yard. I have 6 feeders, 5 for birds and 1 for squirrels. Though the squirrels tend to take over the other feeders when theirs is empty. This winter we've had more juncos than ever. They come to the feeders in flurries looking like falling leaves and always at the same time of the day. I also have chickadees and flickers, robins, crows now and then and starlings. My hubby shoots the starlings though. Nasty birds that have thoroughly torn our attic apart. Then there are the chucker who like the cracked corn. All the neighbours cats come to stake out the birds....hoping. Coopers Hawks also come for the birds and they score more often than the cats. My baby opossoms have all grown up and the one resident who lives under the deck comes out every night for his/her kibble. And it makes for a raucous meeting if the racoons are also out. The other animal who meets the stinging end of hubbys gun are the Norwegian water rats that populate our area. YUCK! they are big and mean to the other animals. Soon as spring arrives the only birds that will leave are the Junco but then all the other pretty babies will come back.

Amelia

Amelia, it is lovely to feed the birds in wintertime. As I have 2 averies, I throw the food up on the roof. My 2 dogs are always underneath hoping that I will miss!

Isn't it a pity that sin has made some birds so destructive that they are not nice to have around.

Water rats...........now they are something else.
We had one in the shed last year having a lovely feed in the birdseed. I found it's nest in the woodpile in the spring. Fasinating arrangement of materials so carefully woven together.

If you have any squirrel stories Amelia, I have a place in the Nature site especially for them.

The hot summer is almost over. Humidity wars with cooling breezes, and together they cook up thunderstorms, but most of these pass with a whimper.

The macadamia tree is dropping its fruit steadily, but it is still laden, branches sagging. The pecan tree is covered with ripening nuts, and some branches are so loaded down, they drag on the ground. Birds like the pecan in summer, when it is full of foliage. Banana passionfruit are ripening on the back fence, the choko vine is growing like something crazed, paw-paws hang pendant-like from one tree, and cluster around the trunk of another. My second banana plant has fallen over in one of the stiff breezes, and I doubt that I'll see another sprout from the base. Trees everywhere are growing with gusto after all the rain recently.

The crows raised one baby, and - as we've seen them do before - have arrived with another, younger one. I think they steal them! lol We have noisy visits from them and their loud baby most mornings, and I've relented, and feed them sometimes. I saw a program on television not long ago, which showed a possum eating bird eggs! No wonder the crows attack them.

The magpies are unrecognisable! Both parents are sleek, well-groomed, and beautiful. The female has regrown her neck feathers, and obviously both have time to bath again! The "baby" is still young-looking, but fully grown, and it feeds itself, with only an occasional begging look at its parents. They have clearly had "the talk" with it, and it never begs now. It still accompanies them, and will for a while, but as it matures, it will become independent, and find its own mate. They started out on an electricity pole, with their little nest at the mercy of the elements, and one chick died, but they have managed to raise a healthy and independent offspring, and they've done themselves proud! My constant delight is that this baby eats from my hand, even when the parents aren't around. I don't get to feed them much while I'm working, but my son does. He loves them as much as I do. The baby is beginning to find its voice. Most of what comes out is still a screech, but the screech is developing a musical tone now, and it won't be long before it has written its own song, and is using that to defend its own territory. (They never copy their parents' songs.)

The noisy miner birds have nested. It seems that feeding babies is a woman's job with them, or perhaps the male has died. The little black-faced grey birds were visiting last week, and when the parent seemed to be attacking, I realised it was the little bird who had been catching food on the wing. I was able to throw pieces of meat skyward, and it would swoop, snapping the morsels in its beak with incredible accuracy. It was feeding two very big babies, so the abundance of insects this summer has been a boon for some.

To top it off, a little black bird with a "v" shaped tail - definitely not related to swifts or swallows, and bigger, with a ruffle around its head which it can puff up - is a regular visitor to the macadamia tree. It makes the craziest noises, and is very funny. It was watching on the day I threw the food to the noisy miner. It decided to get in on the act, and tried to dive for food. Sadly, it's just not very good at it! I don't think it caught one piece, but it deserved a medal for its effort. It is just the cutest bird!

Alas, the possums have not been sighted recently. The box is still there, and they know about it, so that's all I can do.

As the cooler months set in, we will feed the birds a little more. Cities are barren places. And next year, I wonder if our brave little magpies will rebuild on top of the electricity pole?

This last week I discovered I had 3 baby cockatiels in the nest. They had their feathers on and were quite big.
A few days later 2 were out sitting on the perch surveying their new world.

It has been 3 years since any were bred, so it is a delight to have them arrive.
These are pied cockatiels, very pretty in their markings. One is spotted grey and lemon.

Oh I am jealous. I had a cockatiel once. His name was Comet. He was a looney bird.LOL He loved to walk about on tabletops and pick things up, walk over to the edge and drop them off. He would then spread his wings and yell "OH NO". He was also great at spotting flies and spiders on the walls and ceiling. They scared the you know what out of him. He would get into this crouch, like he was trying to cover his head and then shreek his head off til someone got rid of the offending bug.

Amelia

Sounds like a lot of fun Amelia. I used to have 3 cockatiels in the conservatory, but finally put them out in the avery where they are very happy. That just left one male canary - sweetie - inside.

Today I decided he would go out with the others too, as I am cutting down on work with this broken wrist.

Well, it is love at 1st sight. Gabrielle and Sweetie are sitting side by side on the tree trunk.

[ March 02, 2002: Message edited by: Zita ]

I came home from walking the dogs and noticed the love birds were very vocal in the avery. On taking a closer look, I discovered the reason why. there was a young lovebird on the outside of the avery, looking in!

I carefully turned the hose on, and grabbed the butterfly net, but to no avail. I tried all day, asking God to help me catch it so I could hopefully return it to it's owner. Such a pretty blue, and so young. I finally told God to send it away if He didn't want me to catch it, but it returned, hitting itself on the window pane.

We went out for a hike in the hills, and when we returned it was still there looking for food, so I managed to put ot some seed which it ate greedily.

Finally I asked God to reveal the message He had for me in being unable to catch it, and this was the reply.

Don't just be a beautifully dressed christian.

Don't not feed on the Word

Don't be so busy doing your own thing, that you miss out on the Mansion I have prepared for you.

I offered the bird a home
I offered it food and water
But it preferred the freedom to fly free and do it's own thing, not realizing the dangers that were lurking out there in it's new wide expanded world.

Zita, thank you for that. It's so sad and frustrating when we want to help one of God's creatures, but they're consumed with fear. Our Heavenly Father must weep at our response to Him sometimes.

You call them "Lovebirds". Do you mean Budgies? I was thinking Peach-faces at first, but you said this one was blue. I vaguely remember seeing other colours, but I'm not sure.

How is your arm? I know you were in the wars for a while. Has there been any relief?

Zyph, it was a peach-faced love bird, without the 'peach' Just a pretty greeny-blue all over.
He hasn't been around at all today, so I just hope that somebody else had more success than I.

Having this broken wrist inhibits my movement at the moment, and not keen to to active incase I fall again.

It's hard work and very painful trying to get it mobile again. Just going to take a long time. At least I can type with it now, that was sooo frustrating typing with one hand!

Thanks for asking.