Ok, well I threated I'd be going to Australia round this time to chase some birds and looks like I made good on my promise! A lot of rain recently so I've been seeing more spiders than birds but had a good few sightings regardless. Bounty spoiled below.
Kookaburra, sitting on an old windmill for maximum Aussie-ness
Sulfur-crested cockatoo
Greater bin chicken
Smol boi butcher bird
Rainbow Lorikeet(s)
Sacred kingfisher
Common gallinule
King parrot
Dollarbird
Have a few more weeks here and hoping to get up the coast a bit.
FishmanPut your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain.Registered Userregular
Saw a couple Kōtare (Sacred Kingfishers) having a little sing-off at each other on the overhead train lines this morning. One was on the North-bound side and the other South-bound, and they were having a right proper "I'm louder than you" at each other.
Ultimately one flew up and joined the other on the same line, so they could kek-kek-kek at each other from about a half meter away.
Unfortunately they ducked off before I drew close enough to snap a phone pic, but one of them was right back at it before I'd even gone 10 paces, so I doubt the matter was fully concluded. Little bit of entertainment for the morning walk.
Saw a couple Kōtare (Sacred Kingfishers) having a little sing-off at each other on the overhead train lines this morning. One was on the North-bound side and the other South-bound, and they were having a right proper "I'm louder than you" at each other.
Ultimately one flew up and joined the other on the same line, so they could kek-kek-kek at each other from about a half meter away.
Unfortunately they ducked off before I drew close enough to snap a phone pic, but one of them was right back at it before I'd even gone 10 paces, so I doubt the matter was fully concluded. Little bit of entertainment for the morning walk.
Last night while Ruby (the pupper) was visting, we had two VERY FAT TUI get into a brawl in Fortress Burd.
Ruby's reaction was to run down and try and be friends to which the tui were like Oh shit! She's fluffier than us, bigger than us, and sings better than us! All core metrics on the Best Tui meter. They fled.
Cue golden retiver staring up sadly because where did friends go!?
Also every time i try and refill the feeder because the tui have emptied it in the day, i get yelled at extensively.
Interesting. I heard high sugar was bad because it'd ferment and attract more bugs...
Also the tui are already PRETTY MAD. I'm gonna hold off until i see more research/information but i'll be keepign an eye out - def interested
Exciting news: I saw Riroriro today! I've also made friends with the local trapper/mensshead/predator free guy here and now have a rat trap in the back yard armed with peanut butter. YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED RATS AND MICE
I've got to admire the hustle of the young and not to chubby tui (chubby bring a key factor in is this tui going to be successful) who'd instead conviced a lady tui too come mate with him in the apple tree. So he'd do the thing, go get a quick drink of sugar water, and back to doing the deed, repeat. Clever technique
As opposed to the Tui who couldn't find the nectar feeder earlier today, so checked the other one with increasing concern and effort.
Sometimes they're not there, Tui! Sometimes they're not there!
Interesting. I heard high sugar was bad because it'd ferment and attract more bugs...
Also the tui are already PRETTY MAD. I'm gonna hold off until i see more research/information but i'll be keepign an eye out - def interested
Exciting news: I saw Riroriro today! I've also made friends with the local trapper/mensshead/predator free guy here and now have a rat trap in the back yard armed with peanut butter. YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED RATS AND MICE
Sugar can't ferment. The worst thing it can do is crystallize around the holes in the feeder and make you clean it.
Now, if you get some bacteria in a thing, it can eat the sugar and cause some shit, but sugar itself is used in curing processes.
Interesting. I heard high sugar was bad because it'd ferment and attract more bugs...
Also the tui are already PRETTY MAD. I'm gonna hold off until i see more research/information but i'll be keepign an eye out - def interested
Exciting news: I saw Riroriro today! I've also made friends with the local trapper/mensshead/predator free guy here and now have a rat trap in the back yard armed with peanut butter. YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED RATS AND MICE
Sugar can't ferment. The worst thing it can do is crystallize around the holes in the feeder and make you clean it.
Now, if you get some bacteria in a thing, it can eat the sugar and cause some shit, but sugar itself is used in curing processes.
It's mainly the bacteria/similar growth i'm worried about. Ferment is the wrong word, you're correct. but yes, bacteria or molds are the big worry. We also get *lots* of bugs going after it, which mostly means there's a ready supply of ants should a bird feel peckish and some delightful mosquito flavoring to the sugar water <.<
Do you guys get a lot of birder tourism? I ask because the tui and tauhou stories have put them in my list.
A fair amount, yeah.
Zealandia is pretty big draw for general tourism, being a bird sanctuary about 5-10 minutes from the city.
Further afield, we have a lot of rare unique birds for the enthusiast's, some of which are quite accessible, like Kororā.
Because NZ was (pre-colonisation) free of land mammals it evolved a unique bird ecology and it's something that has kind of been adopted into NZ culture. I've seen some '10 things they don't tell you about NZ' videos where they're like "#1: Birds". It's really hard to explain what it's like living somewhere without squirrels but people put out penguin nesting huts in their yard if they live on the shoreline.
Do you guys get a lot of birder tourism? I ask because the tui and tauhou stories have put them in my list.
A fair amount, yeah.
Zealandia is pretty big draw for general tourism, being a bird sanctuary about 5-10 minutes from the city.
Further afield, we have a lot of rare unique birds for the enthusiast's, some of which are quite accessible, like Kororā.
Because NZ was (pre-colonisation) free of land mammals it evolved a unique bird ecology and it's something that has kind of been adopted into NZ culture. I've seen some '10 things they don't tell you about NZ' videos where they're like "#1: Birds". It's really hard to explain what it's like living somewhere without squirrels but people put out penguin nesting huts in their yard if they live on the shoreline.
Sight correction: we have a couple of native bats who are busily evolving back towards a ground dwelling rodent state (they actually land and forage on the ground, making them very unusual as bats go)
But yep, otherwise every single animal niche here got filled by birds. For instance, the famous kiwi? It's mammal version is... Badgers
(They are every bit as ornery if not more so than badgers)
Been hearing more and more Kaka around my house, so I'm holding out hope they'll start visiting and adding chaos
I was horrified to find out my sister in law was getting a cockatoo after @tynic was complaining about how cruel it was that people would do this to such social birds. Luckily I found out today that the bird is a rescue, so while it's not as good as being free, at least its life will be much better than it was.
DisruptedCapitalist on
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
In my (limited) experience, the cockatoo/parrot would be a problem for the cats
Honestly, for pet cats, most things are a problem.
We keep having to deter Livi, the neighbors floof because she wants to sit right in the back yard and watch bird tv. And she does know how to catch sparrows.
Also one of the trees down the road is fruiting. How do I know?
The chungus is a clue. Not seen: the incredibly mad Tauhou chattering it's head off, trying to get rid of this intruder. (Given Tauhou weigh around 16g, while Kererū are around 850g.... It wasn't getting very far. Good effort though)
Watched a hawk majestically soar across the highway about 50 feet in front of me
Edit: putting under spoiler for those that don't want to read it, sorry for not doing it right away and apologies to those that did read it and didn't want to
only it wasn't high enough for the box truck 20 feet in front and a lane over. A lot of ground is covered very quickly at 65 miles per hour.
It was traumatic, and I had an ugly cry once I got to work.
It did get me to look up the local wildlife center since I moved. Planning to swing by over my lunch to give them $20 and find out about volunteering.
On a happier note: the (introduced) predator free efforts in Wellington are paying off massively.
Kererū numbers and Kaka numbers are both up 250% or more this year. Anecdotally, i can say that Kaka have gone from being something i might see on rare occasions near the nature reserve to hearing them every day in the morning and evening - heck, i just watched one fly through the valley i live in.
A normal pidgeon weighs in at about 250g-350g on average. Kereru clonk in at 650g-850g - so close to 2 to 3 times the weight of your average pigeon. They are INCREDIBLY fat.
In this case, that tree down the road is covered in fruit at the moment, and the Kereru are having huge fun stuffing their faces - I've seen them there repeatedly, and the tree is beginning to look comically threadbare in a few places where the berries have been picked clean.
Also when i say berries, i mean chunky fruits that are most of the size of the Kereru's head. They just... swallow them whole, because they have zero dignity.
Also not seen in that photo: The tiny tauhou who was very mad about the invader in ITS TREE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE.
...The Kereru was really not phased by this little mad Tauhou, but hey, the Tauhou was trying it's best. (The Tauhou have also been at war with the local bumblebees over who the nectar feeder should belong to, and watching a Tauhou get headbutted by a bumble bee is very funny)
For the past six months I've had a bird feeder hanging from a branch of a low tree in my back yard. I've been feeding the birds unpeeled sunflower seeds.
Anyway, the housing cooperative on the other side of the yard has complained to my housing cooperative that this might attract rats and accusing me of pouring the seeds on the ground. (The "seeds" is an impressive amount of sunflower seed shells, many of which have been trampled into a mat on the grass.) Why they hadn't noticed me feeding them until now or try to talk to me directly I don't know.
Anyway, I've switched to shelled sunflower seeds, and I'm moving the feeder to the highest branch (which isn't very high, but a bit higher).
I have a meeting with my housing cooperative chairman tomorrow. Any thoughts on what to say to be allowed to keep feeding the birds?
Yeah, “birds are cool and housing cooperatives drool”.
But honestly birds are great to have around? Why they need to be eradicating any and all signs of nature? So a few rats come in, so what? Rats are cool also. It is humans who carry the disease. *it’s at this point you don a pair of shades and hardcode the simulation to melt the chairman’s mouth shut*
Point out that it's shells, not actual seeds. Also bring up the benefits that the birds being interms of pest control and similar - plenty of insects that would otherwise be causing damage will be getting mulched.
Offer to put traps down for rats, if they're an issue - here in NZ we have trap designs that are rat/mouse killers while being safe for other wildlife.
(They're just big wooden boxes with the traps inside and constrained entrances)
In general, play up the benefits rather that try and get in a shit fight
(Also the idea your neighbors can complain like that about your back yard is just fucking wild to me, it's your land surely)
Yeah, “birds are cool and housing cooperatives drool”.
But honestly birds are great to have around? Why they need to be eradicating any and all signs of nature? So a few rats come in, so what? Rats are cool also. It is humans who carry the disease. *it’s at this point you don a pair of shades and hardcode the simulation to melt the chairman’s mouth shut*
I don't think the "rats are ok, actually" argument will carry much water, I'm afraid.
Point out that it's shells, not actual seeds. Also bring up the benefits that the birds being interms of pest control and similar - plenty of insects that would otherwise be causing damage will be getting mulched.
Offer to put traps down for rats, if they're an issue - here in NZ we have trap designs that are rat/mouse killers while being safe for other wildlife.
(They're just big wooden boxes with the traps inside and constrained entrances)
In general, play up the benefits rather that try and get in a shit fight
(Also the idea your neighbors can complain like that about your back yard is just fucking wild to me, it's your land surely)
The insect argument might carry some water.
I did point out that it's shells. I've also switched to a shelled sunflower seeds/peanuts mixture (starting today). There's still some detritus, though. But there's a flock of pigeons that eats anything edible* that falls to the ground. (And a couple of cheeky magpies that do a humming-bird impersonation to try to eat from the feeder.)
My neighbors did have rats last year. And they did put down traps. And they haven't caught any. I suppose I could put some on my side.
It's not actually my personal yard, though. It belongs to my cooperative, of which I am a part owner. (Likewise for the buildings; I'm only the sole owner of the inside of my apartment.)
The other thing then would just be "If it's making a mess, i'll be more active on sweeping it up" - which seems perfectly reasonble to be required if it's a shared space.
Like i have to clean out the seeds the birds miss that start sprouting under my apple tree whenever i put seeds out, it's just the nature of things.
There's 30 cm of snow right now and -18C (0F), so slightly difficult at the moment.
How do you sweep up sunflower seed shells, anyway? I'd think they'd go right through a rake. I haven't tried a broom on a lawn before.
The meeting tomorrow will be at the groundskeeper's office; I can ask then I suppose.
You can absolutely use outdoor brooms, or a brush and shovel or similar. There's def options. And frankly, if you're trying to look after the burds, not attracting rats is to your benefit as well. Unless you're playing the long game and wish to get all the hawks or something visiting. IN which case you'll have new and innovative issues, like pigeon guts everywhere.
If it's winter, Fatcakes are your friends for feeding burds - use rendered drippings from various meats you've cooked, melt the fat down, lower the temp, mix in seed, and cast. Then put them out. (Do your research on your local burds etc too though).
There's 30 cm of snow right now and -18C (0F), so slightly difficult at the moment.
How do you sweep up sunflower seed shells, anyway? I'd think they'd go right through a rake. I haven't tried a broom on a lawn before.
The meeting tomorrow will be at the groundskeeper's office; I can ask then I suppose.
You can absolutely use outdoor brooms, or a brush and shovel or similar. There's def options. And frankly, if you're trying to look after the burds, not attracting rats is to your benefit as well. Unless you're playing the long game and wish to get all the hawks or something visiting. IN which case you'll have new and innovative issues, like pigeon guts everywhere.
If it's winter, Fatcakes are your friends for feeding burds - use rendered drippings from various meats you've cooked, melt the fat down, lower the temp, mix in seed, and cast. Then put them out. (Do your research on your local burds etc too though).
I don't want rats, no. The detritus from the de-shelled sunflower seeds is quite minimal, at least.
I'm a vegetarian, but fatcakes can be bought ready-made. (Amusingly, they're called "titballs" here because they're spherical and tits like to eat them.) Suspect that would be sad for the pigeons, though? I mean, are they able to eat from the fatcakes if they're hung from a tree?
Posts
Kookaburra, sitting on an old windmill for maximum Aussie-ness
Sulfur-crested cockatoo
Greater bin chicken
Smol boi butcher bird
Rainbow Lorikeet(s)
Sacred kingfisher
Common gallinule
King parrot
Dollarbird
Have a few more weeks here and hoping to get up the coast a bit.
Send donations so I can keep working on my garden, we have such plans to show you all (like entirely replacing the grass with native grass)
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He just like me fr
Ultimately one flew up and joined the other on the same line, so they could kek-kek-kek at each other from about a half meter away.
Unfortunately they ducked off before I drew close enough to snap a phone pic, but one of them was right back at it before I'd even gone 10 paces, so I doubt the matter was fully concluded. Little bit of entertainment for the morning walk.
Last night while Ruby (the pupper) was visting, we had two VERY FAT TUI get into a brawl in Fortress Burd.
Ruby's reaction was to run down and try and be friends to which the tui were like Oh shit! She's fluffier than us, bigger than us, and sings better than us! All core metrics on the Best Tui meter. They fled.
Cue golden retiver staring up sadly because where did friends go!?
Also every time i try and refill the feeder because the tui have emptied it in the day, i get yelled at extensively.
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Apparently more sugar = more healthy, but also more aggressive. Science!
Also the tui are already PRETTY MAD. I'm gonna hold off until i see more research/information but i'll be keepign an eye out - def interested
Exciting news: I saw Riroriro today! I've also made friends with the local trapper/mensshead/predator free guy here and now have a rat trap in the back yard armed with peanut butter. YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED RATS AND MICE
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Think full on squads of Tauhou checking every angle of the post, just in case they've missed something somehow.
Also the rat trap claimed it's first offering and he was a big 'un
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then it rained for two days and it looks like a diarrheaer exploded in my yard
As opposed to the Tui who couldn't find the nectar feeder earlier today, so checked the other one with increasing concern and effort.
Sometimes they're not there, Tui! Sometimes they're not there!
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Sugar can't ferment. The worst thing it can do is crystallize around the holes in the feeder and make you clean it.
Now, if you get some bacteria in a thing, it can eat the sugar and cause some shit, but sugar itself is used in curing processes.
It's mainly the bacteria/similar growth i'm worried about. Ferment is the wrong word, you're correct. but yes, bacteria or molds are the big worry. We also get *lots* of bugs going after it, which mostly means there's a ready supply of ants should a bird feel peckish and some delightful mosquito flavoring to the sugar water <.<
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A fair amount, yeah.
Zealandia is pretty big draw for general tourism, being a bird sanctuary about 5-10 minutes from the city.
Further afield, we have a lot of rare unique birds for the enthusiast's, some of which are quite accessible, like Kororā.
Because NZ was (pre-colonisation) free of land mammals it evolved a unique bird ecology and it's something that has kind of been adopted into NZ culture. I've seen some '10 things they don't tell you about NZ' videos where they're like "#1: Birds". It's really hard to explain what it's like living somewhere without squirrels but people put out penguin nesting huts in their yard if they live on the shoreline.
Sight correction: we have a couple of native bats who are busily evolving back towards a ground dwelling rodent state (they actually land and forage on the ground, making them very unusual as bats go)
But yep, otherwise every single animal niche here got filled by birds. For instance, the famous kiwi? It's mammal version is... Badgers
(They are every bit as ornery if not more so than badgers)
Been hearing more and more Kaka around my house, so I'm holding out hope they'll start visiting and adding chaos
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Within 5 minutes: 4 tui in the apple tree having a Fluff Off (With requisite Loud Singing)
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Just ask the one who was trying to balance on the metal nozzle and nearly fell off. Totally, utterly, normal.
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I LOVE YOU BARRED OWL BE MY FRIEND!
also my winter crow flock is back for their usual dog food breakfast, a murder of 30 strong on a good day and i love them all.
i have named every single one their name is CROW
Honestly, for pet cats, most things are a problem.
We keep having to deter Livi, the neighbors floof because she wants to sit right in the back yard and watch bird tv. And she does know how to catch sparrows.
Also one of the trees down the road is fruiting. How do I know?
The chungus is a clue. Not seen: the incredibly mad Tauhou chattering it's head off, trying to get rid of this intruder. (Given Tauhou weigh around 16g, while Kererū are around 850g.... It wasn't getting very far. Good effort though)
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Edit: putting under spoiler for those that don't want to read it, sorry for not doing it right away and apologies to those that did read it and didn't want to
It was traumatic, and I had an ugly cry once I got to work.
It did get me to look up the local wildlife center since I moved. Planning to swing by over my lunch to give them $20 and find out about volunteering.
Kererū numbers and Kaka numbers are both up 250% or more this year. Anecdotally, i can say that Kaka have gone from being something i might see on rare occasions near the nature reserve to hearing them every day in the morning and evening - heck, i just watched one fly through the valley i live in.
As to Kererū, well...
Not even the only photo I've got
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A normal pidgeon weighs in at about 250g-350g on average. Kereru clonk in at 650g-850g - so close to 2 to 3 times the weight of your average pigeon. They are INCREDIBLY fat.
In this case, that tree down the road is covered in fruit at the moment, and the Kereru are having huge fun stuffing their faces - I've seen them there repeatedly, and the tree is beginning to look comically threadbare in a few places where the berries have been picked clean.
Also when i say berries, i mean chunky fruits that are most of the size of the Kereru's head. They just... swallow them whole, because they have zero dignity.
Also not seen in that photo: The tiny tauhou who was very mad about the invader in ITS TREE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE.
...The Kereru was really not phased by this little mad Tauhou, but hey, the Tauhou was trying it's best. (The Tauhou have also been at war with the local bumblebees over who the nectar feeder should belong to, and watching a Tauhou get headbutted by a bumble bee is very funny)
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For the past six months I've had a bird feeder hanging from a branch of a low tree in my back yard. I've been feeding the birds unpeeled sunflower seeds.
Anyway, the housing cooperative on the other side of the yard has complained to my housing cooperative that this might attract rats and accusing me of pouring the seeds on the ground. (The "seeds" is an impressive amount of sunflower seed shells, many of which have been trampled into a mat on the grass.) Why they hadn't noticed me feeding them until now or try to talk to me directly I don't know.
Anyway, I've switched to shelled sunflower seeds, and I'm moving the feeder to the highest branch (which isn't very high, but a bit higher).
I have a meeting with my housing cooperative chairman tomorrow. Any thoughts on what to say to be allowed to keep feeding the birds?
But honestly birds are great to have around? Why they need to be eradicating any and all signs of nature? So a few rats come in, so what? Rats are cool also. It is humans who carry the disease. *it’s at this point you don a pair of shades and hardcode the simulation to melt the chairman’s mouth shut*
Offer to put traps down for rats, if they're an issue - here in NZ we have trap designs that are rat/mouse killers while being safe for other wildlife.
(They're just big wooden boxes with the traps inside and constrained entrances)
In general, play up the benefits rather that try and get in a shit fight
(Also the idea your neighbors can complain like that about your back yard is just fucking wild to me, it's your land surely)
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I don't think the "rats are ok, actually" argument will carry much water, I'm afraid.
The insect argument might carry some water.
I did point out that it's shells. I've also switched to a shelled sunflower seeds/peanuts mixture (starting today). There's still some detritus, though. But there's a flock of pigeons that eats anything edible* that falls to the ground. (And a couple of cheeky magpies that do a humming-bird impersonation to try to eat from the feeder.)
My neighbors did have rats last year. And they did put down traps. And they haven't caught any. I suppose I could put some on my side.
It's not actually my personal yard, though. It belongs to my cooperative, of which I am a part owner. (Likewise for the buildings; I'm only the sole owner of the inside of my apartment.)
Layout:
EHC - Y - LH - Y - ME
(EHC: Evil housing cooperative. Y: Yard. LH: Low hedge. ME: Me)
* According to a pest control company's website, rats might eat shells even if birds don't. Find that hard to believe, but I'm not a zoologist.
Like i have to clean out the seeds the birds miss that start sprouting under my apple tree whenever i put seeds out, it's just the nature of things.
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How do you sweep up sunflower seed shells, anyway? I'd think they'd go right through a rake. I haven't tried a broom on a lawn before.
The meeting tomorrow will be at the groundskeeper's office; I can ask then I suppose.
You can absolutely use outdoor brooms, or a brush and shovel or similar. There's def options. And frankly, if you're trying to look after the burds, not attracting rats is to your benefit as well. Unless you're playing the long game and wish to get all the hawks or something visiting. IN which case you'll have new and innovative issues, like pigeon guts everywhere.
If it's winter, Fatcakes are your friends for feeding burds - use rendered drippings from various meats you've cooked, melt the fat down, lower the temp, mix in seed, and cast. Then put them out. (Do your research on your local burds etc too though).
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
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I don't want rats, no. The detritus from the de-shelled sunflower seeds is quite minimal, at least.
I'm a vegetarian, but fatcakes can be bought ready-made. (Amusingly, they're called "titballs" here because they're spherical and tits like to eat them.) Suspect that would be sad for the pigeons, though? I mean, are they able to eat from the fatcakes if they're hung from a tree?