My bird mate expert told me Rainbow loorikeets dont bathe.
Yes They DO!
My bird mate expert told me Rainbow loorikeets dont eat seed.
Yes They DO!
Burkes backyard bird site tells me roughly the same.
So what have I got here in Canungra,alien birds???
Yes they do bathe and yes they do eat seed.
Seed is no good for them though mate, it destroys the fine brushes on their tongues.
Their staple diet is nectar,fruit etc.
Ta Tassie,
quick response.
So what do I do mate?
Im new at this feeding caper.
They bully all the other seed eating birds out of the way and take over the seed dish.[I use wild bird mix]
I dont particulary like them,they look nice but real pigs.
Any advice on how to keep them out of the seed dish?
I have a nectar dish also going all the time,but as soon as they see birds in the seed dish they lumber over and push all the seed eaters out of the way.
Chooks I eat,The others I Feed!
Hey Sooky, It sounds as though you are having the same dramas I had, the only birds I saw stand there ground was the Blue faced honeyeaters.
The lorries even used to take on my Peking bantams on the ground.
I might have some solutions but I need to know what seed eaters you are trying to feed.
Hi, we have a LOT of rainbows in our area,my neighbor feeds both them and the seed eaters, he found that putting fruit in halves in another part of the yard up high and putting the seed at ground level helped a bit,the also started a routine of putting the fruit out at the same time each day the rainbows soon learned what time to turn up for a feed and gradually stopped taking the seed, i hope this helps
Hi, what I do is chop up a quarter of an apple into fine pieces (about 8 x 5 mm) and put it in the seed tray with the seed. Any bigger and they just drop it on the grass because they always turn their heads back when they eat. The rainbow lorikeets always choose the apple over the seed. They chase the other birds off the feeder and eat their fill of apple, then when they fly away the galahs and other seed eaters get a turn on the same feeder and eat the seed. We have 2 trays, one under the other, and both trays have seed and apple in them. We don't feed every day or at regular times because we don't want them to get used to it. Here is a family - mum, dad and two babies on our feeder
Does anyone know about lake Conjoula? (I have never seen it writen so I dont know how to spell it) The lorries swarm your cabin and jump on you for food. The funny thing is they do bathe but they do in the gutter?! We just give them bread and they come back.
Hi
Best thing to do is not feed at all. It helps the spread of diseases among birds local and travelling. Birds can also find their own food despite what we all may think. :)
I meant feeding helps the spread of diseases!
Lake Conjola is near Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast. Feeding bread is mad. Please don't!
O Windhover, it is so hard to convince, even "bird lovers", NOT TO FEED. (It's similar to trying to tell people with fat dogs,that those treats are killing the dogs (and cats)slowly. All you can do, is try, try try . Some birds will thank you for it! We are sticking our necks out again !!
M-L
Oops! I thought I was doing the right thing. A well, they will still come I think? Do they eat meat because they got a BBQ there and it is a star attraction for ravens, magpies and currawongs. Have you ever been there?
I totally agree Marie-Louise. I would love to get some images of birds with psittacine circovirus infections so I can show what happens to infected birds. It's so easy to be more exposed to infections when group feeding takes place. Birds come from many areas (eg. Lorikeets travel HUGE distances daily from their roosts) and mix at feeding stations that are set up by well-meaning and caring people. Therefore, the virus(es) is(are) passed far easier from one group of birds to another because the food concentrates them in the small area! It's pretty easy to understand why the risk is greater. It took me years to convince a couple who have been my friends for years but it worked. :) I think education is important and as I said and most people that have at least some basic understanding about natural history will certainly agree that there are plenty of feeding opportunities for birds in the wild without people needing to supplement their diets. :)
Sorry James, I missed your post. No I have not been there. Lorikeets don't eat meat. They are kind of honeyeaters in a way. They eat nectar from flowers. If you are really desperate, try some mango or some sweet fruit, but only if you are really, really desperate. Birdgirl's images illustrate why feeding is such a bad idea. (sorry Birdgirl, I am not meant to chastize you :), just want to make a point and an educational one at that).
Can anyone tell me what is wrong in this photo? There is more than one thing wrong. :)
The image belongs to Birdgirl2009 and is from her post above in this thread (it's easier to see with the question I asked, rather than scroll up and down).
[img]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5122/5200713887_50fce34b2d.jpg[/link]
I meant what are wrong in this image:
To me all is see wrong is that the sky in the backgrounds white:). Dont leave me in suspense!!!
Hi Windhover.
Is these the kind of photos you are looking for?
PSITTACINE BEAK AND FEATHER DISEASE (Psittacine Circovirus Disease)
Bryan
Windhover, are you talking about the poison they can get from the metal chains if they start licking or chewing it? Birds pooing in the tray they are eating out of?
No. I initially thought the adult Rainbow Lorikeet was eating cheese but then read Birdgirl's posting to realize it was apple, which is far better, but I don't believe it's still natural? :)
Not the chain but the fact that
a) They are not eating natural foods
b) The adults are showing the offspring that it's OK to accept handouts instead of finding their own food.
Like I said, I have no doubt most people want to be kind to the animals and so on, but they don't need us to feed them junkfood. Imagine eating Pizza Hut or McDonald's every day as part of your diet. You'd soon show it! :) Plant natives to encourage them into the garden is probably the best compromise to reach. But again, I am only one who perhaps thinks that way. :)
No I agree Windhover - its much better that we supply birds with a natural food source from our gardens. It is a difficult one and something we at BIBY have struggled (we went through the literature and consulted with researchers in the field) with because people take great joy from feeding (and have a strong connection to birds in doing so) and some people, regardless of telling them the potential impacts, will continue to do it.
So - we encourage people to not feed them and instead put in appropriate plants BUT if they do insist on feeding that they do it 1. very infrequently (not daily), 2. that the food is appropriate (i.e. no bread, small seeds etc). 3. feeding stations are kept impecably clean and 4. they observe what is happening at those feed stations - so if you start to attract large numbers then you stop for a while - the birds will not starve.
There are more details in our domestic gardens guidelines :)
Holly
Windhover,you know I agree with you!Because people have the connection to birds, and put human terms on them,I will try a different approche to the "to feed, or not to feed".Here comes my contribution. Most of us have to work to be able to buy food. Now, if your neighbour gives you 10 Hamburgers a day, you would say,wow, I 'll have those, I won't have to work anymore. You will get fat and lazy pretty quickly. Then the nice people say: I love watching the people , so I want to give them more, others might turn up,more fun to watch! More and more are turning up. One has chickenpox, he has a bite of your Burger. One has a bad cough. Soon you will catch all those diseases. On top of that, soon you won't remember how to work for your food. Fat and lazy, you will get sicker and sicker,you immunity will get lower, and..... (that should be easy to understand?)
M-L
Hi Araminta......je remarquait sur un des affichages que vous communiquiez dans Le français, si je pensé j'avais essayé mon Français. J'étais fasciné par la somme d'intérêt l'alimentation d'oiseaux a causé sur BIBY! Les comparaisons et les résultats finaux d'encourager les oiseaux à obtenir employaient aux dehors de main et affluant aux stations d'alimentation aidant l'étendue maladies est certes un concept dur à embrasser. Comme vous et Windhover essayer mentionné à éduquer des gens est la partie dure. Utilisant peut-être le UN à titre d'exemple travaillerait. Si nous arrêtions envoyer la nourriture à certaines parties du monde pour la diffusion, gens rassembler plus ensemble dans la masse à être alimenté et cela aiderait l'arrêt l'étendue de la maladie et les encourage de ne pas être si paresseux.
Est-ce que vous pensez cela travaillerait?
Shaka
Great now I feel guilty. :-(
Please don't feel guilty cooee! Look at it as learning more about your lovely birds :)
Non Shaka, non cela ne trvaillerait pas! I'm answering in English, because it is not fair to speak French on this thread. There is no comparison between, not feeding birds, and not feeding people! It is simply our responsibility as human beeings to supply people in need with the necessities to survive, and educate and help to create a foundation, to make a descent living. If ethics don't demand this, it should be the fact, that in most cases the exploitation of poor countries by the developed nations, has caused the poverty and starvation! For me, this is the end of this discussion,this is a Bird Forum. Unless other people want to talk more about it? Then it has to take place under "General"! Au revoir, Marie-Louise
M-L
I translated Shaka's post and thought along the lines of Marie-Louise. Let's keep it to birds aye? :)
Once again I find myself confused. Anyways, what ever is happening I agree with Whindhover
Very smart move James,stay right behind Windhover and me......
M-L
Im still confused?!?
What do you find confusing young man?
I dont even know what Im confused about. Never mind about it.
I have to agree that the best food for a bird is the food it forages for or catches. But if someone can tell me where that great neighbour is that hands out hamburgers to people I am thinking of moving in next door! LOL...
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/
..... I also said, you will get fat and lazy, Wollemi!!
M-L
awwwww Araminta..... why you gotta point out the negative... free hamburgers sounded good... LOL
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/