Hello Everyone
I am new to this forum, but not new to this web site. I have never joined any forum before. I love animals, nature, and would like to learn more about the different birds in Australia. I dislike destruction to big old gum trees and cruelty to animals. I feel very lucky to be living in a country that has varieties of beautiful and fascinating birds. I am hoping to be able to learn to identify different birds and to find different local walks that I can spot different birds from this forum.
I live in Northern Suburb of Sydney. We still have several old gum trees in the area we live in and I hope it will stay that way for a very, very long time. I have rainbow Lorikeets, cockatoos, kookaburra and occasionally king parrots visiting my gardens. Since we moved into our house, I have gradually redesigned and introduced native plants into our gardens. The previous owner of our house did not plant any native plants in the gardens.
I look forward to being a member of this community, to learn and expand my knowledge.
Welcome to the forum, Schnushelby. There's heaps to learn here & we're all heavily into it.
I love your passion for big old gum trees. They're wonderful habitat for all sorts of native creatures & need to be perserved for as long as possible. We also need to be planting new gum trees to eventually replace the habitat provided by the old trees as the latter die out.
Your native plants will help to increase the habitat diversity in your garden, especially if you're planting indigenous species. If you can encourage your neighbours to go forth & do likewise you might eventually have a nice piece of natural environment.
I'll leave it to forum members who live in your neck of the woods to provide you with information about where you can go to find a variety of bird species. And I look forward to your observations in & outside of your garden.
Hello and Welcome! It's so great to have you here, this is certainly the right place to come and talk to other people who love nature
It sounds like you get to see some lovely birds! I hope that we get to see some shots from around your house and garden
Good on you for planting natives, all the native wildlife will appreciate it so much!
Enjoy your time here!
Elsie
Hello!
I am so pleased to meet another 'Old Gum Tree' admirer! We have about 20 old forest red gums and we are trying to entice more to grow though I think I shall have to buy some in from a nursery as seedlings are so hard to get going. I live on five acres and have over 30 really big trees all up and two of them are dead gum trees that will stay right where they are until forever. Many birds roost in our dead trees and I have noticed at least three species of birds behaving rather suspiciously around them, so I suspect the hollows are being used for nesting too. In our big healthy gum trees there are dozens of birds that roost, nest, feed, socialise and cool off in and on them.
I hope you get much information and enjoyment on the forums!
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/
Hello Woko, thank you for welcoming me into your forum. Please accept my apologies for my late response. Unfortunately, my responses and any inputs into the forum is likely to be once a week due to work, study and other commitments. I am hoping to learn from other members and to be able to make some worthwhile contribution to the forum.
I agree with you that we need to preserve our gum trees and any tree bearing hollows for the conservation of our wildlife.
Schnushelby110
Hello Elsie
Thank you for your welcome. This is my first experience of joining a forum and I am overjoyed with yours and other members kindness.
My native garden is in its infancy. I have removed several succulent plants and planted a few natives. There are several more native plants to go in but I need to do some research for suitable native plants. I have lost one new plant in this border already.
Schnushelby110
Hello Wollemi
I am so glad to meet some else who also value gum trees, any big trees, and their importance to our wildlife. Wow, you do have many big trees on your property. There are several gum trees in and around where I now live. I hope no one in the area will cut them down or get the Council's permission to cut them down. I do not have room in my gardens to plant any more big gum trees, but I am in the process of planting other native plants that will provide food and shelter to the birds from their predators.
I have not heard of forest red gum trees. Are they very different from the gum trees we find in and around Sydney suburbs?
The three species of birds you noticed around your dead gum trees must have found some tree hollows in it. Do you know the different species' name?
Have you noticed any Powerful Owls amongst your big trees? I read and heard that they are the largest owl in Australia and that they do not require tree hollows except for during the breeding time. The strength of the Powerful Owl amazed me!
Schnushelby110
Hi Schnushelby,
The Forest Red Gum or Eucalyptus tereticornis is a beautiful tree. It was one of the main reasons we bought the property. Trees so huge you can put your arms around them! They are native to east coast of Australia so there are sure to be some in your neck of the woods. Here is a website with more information.
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Eucalyptus~tereticornis
In your garden try to plant some ground covers and some native grasses. Wallaby grass is quite attractive in its large clumps and the little seed eating birds do like it. There are also many ground covers.
Check out your local council and see if they have or know of a provenance nursery in your area. I know Hawkesbury Council have one in Mulgrave and in Penrith there is the Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural Centre which has a nursery as well.
Also there is an online nursery that delivers tube stock plants to your door. http://www.allnatives.com.au/
The birds I have that did nest in the dead gum trees are rainbow lorikeet, common mynah and galah.
We have had a pair of powerful owls hunting in our back paddock at night but they are not there often. They are an amazing bird. Love everything about them.
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/