Hi everyone
We had a pair of Eastern rosellas well settled into the box before the dreaded dust storm. During that day the branch the box was on was blown around all day. We always worry about the rosella eggs and babies because the box is always clean after the babies have flown - no nesting material to stop the eggs rolling (unlike the galahs, which add gum leaves to theirs until it is about 30 cm high by the time the babies have flown).
After the storm I did not see the female come out of the box at all: a male (maybe different males) came into the tree several times a day and did the call to get the female to come out and fly away with him (one long note and two quick short notes), but only one repetition instead of several repetitions. He would often fly onto the perch and look inside the box. No female came out and he would fly away. After many days I believed that the female had been lost.
Two days ago I went out again when I heard him. He flew onto the perch and kept looking in the box. Suddenly a beak appeared in the entry hole and seemed to be snapping at him. He started jerking his head and neck and fed the bird whose beak was in the entry hole. I'm sure that bird had a white beak, and in the past our babies have had distinctly yellow beaks, so I was wondering if that was the female he was feeding and she didn't want to leave the box for some reason.
I have read that sometimes the male Eastern rosella feeds the female before mating and that both parents feed the young. Maybe it is a baby with a light beak and Mr Rosella has been left alone to raise them.
Stay tuned!
Smeedingo2 - how are your rosellas going?
Mr Rosella this morning
Last year's babies have yellow beaks
Babies form a few years ago - some beaks are more yellow than others
beautiful birds you have there and colors, good on you birdgirl :)
Yep I think he is feeding the hen Birdgirl,very common with several native parrots.
Keep us posted - I am following your Rosellas with interest.
I am very cross with my Adelaide Rosellas as they are really destroying my rose bushes this year. Your photo of the chicks is gorgeous!
HI Birdgirl
The same thing happened here but with a bad result after a few days with the male returning and no female I checked the box there was 2 eggs 1 not fertile and the other dark but both had been broken I removed the eggs and 3 days later another pair was at the box I,m off for the next few days I will keep an eye out and let you now.
I'm still watching and trying to work out what is happening. Often a male is on the box or near it doing the 'I've found a really great box and I'm so excited' call. No female comes out of the box, but when he flies away another rosella flies away with him. That one is obviously his partner, who we didn't notice in the tree.
Last week I found 2 eggs on the ground under the box; the first was hollow but with a hole and second was solid with a hole.
Do you think you may have an interloper visiting the box and stealing the eggs? This may explain why the Rosellas are not settling in the box, calling and flying away. Just an idea!