Just before it was getting dark, I noticed this juvenile Red-browed Firetail. It is getting cold very fast now, especially during the night. So it has to grow up quickly now. Good luck little bird!
enjoy
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Nice pose and good to see a bit of sunshine today!
Cheers, Owen.
My post seems to have vanished. If it shows twice, I apologize.
M-L, another beautiful photo. I am seeing a lot of juvenile birds around here and wondering if they are a bit late in the season? Maybe with all the rains we had the birds are getting in as much breeding as they can while the sun is out?
Karen
Brisbane southside.
Karen, rain = production of food. (Just ask the farmers.) Many bird species take advantage of food such as insects to breed because their instincts tell them their young have a good chance of survival. This applies particularly in the inland where rain is less predictable.
Hi Woko. Yes, its common sense really. Its good to see birds reproducing well. I remember a year when not one baby lorikeet could be heard in this area where they abound. It was during the long drought we had here. Good to see the youngsters making a come back.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
Hi Karen @ Woko, I have noticed sometimes reproduction comes in waves, (if you could say so?). Last year we had 3 pairs of Cockatoos and all of them had several young. This season, we had none in our garden, they all went somewhere else. That's good, they had to find their own territory. Next year they'll be back, makes sense to me.
I have noticed a different thing though, I have several bushes of the same kind, one does get a lot of Honeyeaters feeding of it, the two others of the same kind gets hardly visited. The conclusion here is obviously, not only does it matter what kind of shrub you plant, it also makes a difference where you plant it? Something I can't explain and don't understand. I will have to pay more attention to the "why" here.
M-L
That's interesting, M-L. Usually when there are a few or more of a plant the birds like, they flit from one to the next. You could be right, there could be something in the soil that makes the flowers less "tasty" to the birds. But I don't really know.
It is good to live in an area for so long, you get to know the birds, and note the changes in time. I've been in this little plot for over 30 years now and seen lots of changes. Maybe its for the best. Mother Nature knows what she's doing, I'm sure. Well, I hope so.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
I guess different plants have different levels of nectar production for honeyeaters, Araminta. (I presume that's what the honeyeaters are after from those plants to which you referred.) An alternative notion might be that it has something to do with male & female flowers on some plants. Do you know what the plant species is?
Karen, I agree that it's good to have lived in an area for a long while so that we can observe the environmental changes that have occurred. One day I plan to update all my bird data & draw some graphs of their increases & declines in abundance. For example, I'm confident that grassland birds aren't as common as they were before Ms Woko & I moved in & started revegetating & the decline in starling numbers is nothing short of remarkable (thankfully).
They are all the same Calistemons, just planted in different positions in the garden. You would think the ones further away from the house with lots of different grasses around them, would be most attractive to birds? But the shrubs right infront of the windows, dogs and me walking past , would be less frequented? Not so, I can't explain it.
M-L
M-L, I have been noticing small birds living in the strangest places, such as commercial property with all concrete ground and a border of shrubs. Can't explain that either. I can't help wondering if some birds actually like proximity to people. I have a pair of peewees that know me, even leave their babies for me to mind while they go foraging, yet will attack a visitor in my yard. There is no explaining the behaviour of some birds.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
Perhaps trust is part of it. I also wonder if birds frequent the areas better sheltered from wind hence the greater numbers closer to your house, Araminta. In the case of the concrete area, Karen, perhaps the concrete sets a desirable temperature for the birds.
I think you are onto something here, "my birds", know and trust me. They even trust the dogs, they know they are safe and not chased by them. Some birds even come and follow me down the drive when I come home.People laugh about me, I talk to the birds in a very soft voice, it works. That's why they let me get very close to them.
M-L
Ms Woko also has a very gentle way of talking to the birds & they seem to be unafraid when she approaches them. This is why I often put on my galah suit when I arrive home from anywhere.
Does she wear any special outfits, to be nice to the "galah", or is the soft voice enough?
M-L
The soft voice is sufficient but she looks great in anything.
Can't imagine good pickings in concrete, but mine is not to reason why. I think trust is a probability and you may be onto something there with the shelter from the elements, Woko.
Karen
Brisbane southside.