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The Big Twitch

5 Comments »23rd August, 2007; Category: Birders

Last year read a book called “The Big Twitch“ written by Australian birder, writer and sometime comedian Sean Dooley. This is an excellent read if you are even mildly interested in birds, and especially if you enjoy books relating adventure, quests, the search for unusual things and not without a little humour thrown into the whole mix.

I didn’t realise it at the time but Sean has a web site dedicated to the book. He has even started a blog which is accessed through the site (though he hasn’t updated it in quite a while).

Further reading

The problem with Common Blackbirds

49 Comments »21st August, 2007; Category: Bird Behaviour, Blackbirds, Garden birds

One of my readers posed this perplexing problem with Common Blackbirds:

Helppppp!!We have a Huggggggge problem with Blackbirds in our garden, flicking our mulch all over the place, it’s driving us crazy, do you know where we could get one of those electronic things to scare them off, or anything else that would work in getting rid of them??
Regards
Mary.

This is a common problem in many gardens.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no simple, easy solution. Most gardeners tolerate this behaviour because they love to hear the beautiful song of the Blackbird during the breeding season.

Electronic device:

Mary asks about an electronic device to scare them away. I do not know of any but I suggest asking at the local hardware stores and garden centres. A long search of the internet turned up one very expensive (about $50US) device in a store in Kansas. The downside of this device is that it does not discriminate; it scares ALL birds, including the native birds that keep the natural balance of nature in the garden. Without the native birds eating the insects like mosquitoes, flies, beetles, centipedes, spiders and so on, our gardens would become an ecological disaster area. It would be a far greater problem than the nuisance caused by the Blackbirds.

Other alternatives:

Here we need to get a little creative. I’m not sure whether any of these ideas will work because I haven’t tried them. Some may even look a little ugly.

  1. Get rid of the mulch – with water restrictions this may not be desirable or possible.
  2. Replace the bark mulch with gravel or pebbles too heavy for the birds to move – an expensive solution.
  3. Build 20cm high walls along the edges of the garden so that the Blackbirds do not flick the mulch on to the path. These could be made of stone, brick, pavers, wooden sleepers, pine posts on their edges and so on. Be creative.
  4. Cover the mulch with chicken wire, shade-cloth or weed mat. Probably not a good look.
  5. Turn around your attitude and learn to love the birds; after all, they are just looking for lunch.

I guess these suggestions may not please Mary and may just add to her frustrations. Sorry, Mary.

Reader questions:

Over to my readers:

  • Do you have any suggestions for Mary? (Please be nice – offensive comments will not be published).
  • How have you solved this dilemma in your garden?
  • Reply in the comments section below. Update: comments are now closed for this post because, sadly,  some people cannot help being abusive.
Common Blackbird (male)

Common Blackbird (male)

UPDATE: I also posed this question to subscribers of the Birding-Aus forum. Many of their comments are recorded in the comments section below. I love the one about leaving plastic snakes lying around!

Bird Word: Month List

No Comments »21st August, 2007; Category: Bird Word, Glossary

Month list: a list of all the bird species seen by a birder in a particular month.

I am a self confessed list maker.

  • I make lists of things to do.
  • I make lists of things I’ve done.
  • I make lists of things I have.
  • I make lists of things I’d like.
  • I make lists of places I’ve been.
  • I make lists of places I’d like to visit.
  • I make lists of books I’ve read.
  • I make lists of…

I think you get the picture.

It’s almost (sic) an obsessive, compulsive thing.

Birding lists:

Birding was made for people like me. So many lists can be made in the pursuit of this hobby. I can make all kinds of lists:

  • A list of birds seen each day.
  • A list of birds seen each week.
  • A list of birds seen each month (a month list).
  • A list of birds seen in each year (a year list).
  • A list of birds seen in my lifetime ( a life list).
  • A list of birds seen in each location I visit to go birding (a site list).
  • A list of birds seen on television, or on films.
  • A list of birds for each state I have visited (a state list).
  • A list of birds for each country I’ve been ( a country list).
  • I can even make a list of BIRDS I HAVE NOT SEEN YET.

Database:

When I bought a specialised database for my bird records I was in heaven. All these lists now meant something – they had a purpose. I joyfully add new data to this ultimate list of lists. The computer can generate for me any kind of list I want in seconds.

  • A list of every time I’ve seen a particular species.
  • A list month by month or year by year for a location.
  • A list of places I’ve been birding.
  • A total list of all the birds I’ve ever seen.
  • A list of dates I’ve been birding.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.

I don’t think I’m sick – just a tad obsessed.

Further Reading:

Yellow Rosella

17 Comments »20th August, 2007; Category: Parrots and Lorikeets
Yellow Rosella

Yellow Rosella

On my recent visit to Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia I saw several Yellow Rosellas. This is a species I have not observed very often. This photos on this post are not brilliant but they are the first and only shots I have of this beautiful species.

The Yellow Rosella is a race of the Crimson Rosella. The Crimson Rosella is a bright red in colour. Similarly, the orange coloured Adelaide Rosella found in the Mt. Lofty Ranges of the Adelaide area in South Australia, is also a race of the Crimson Rosella. The Yellow Rosella and the Adelaide Rosella are known to interbreed in the Mannum-Morgan region where their ranges overlap.

Yellow Rosella

Yellow Rosella

Yellow Rosellas are found primarily along the Murray-Darling River systems. Their preferred habitat includes eucalyptus woodlands and nearby grasslands but usually near water. I have once recorded this species here in Murray Bridge, well downstream than any other known record.

Click on the photos to enlarge the image. Further Reading:

UPDATE: Below is a better photo taken a few months later in New South Wales.

Yellow Rosella

Yellow Rosella

Birding in Loxton, South Australia

6 Comments »19th August, 2007; Category: General

On my trip to Loxton last Monday I made time for a little birding along the river front near the caravan park. I only had about a half hour late in the afternoon. Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia is about three hours by road north east of Adelaide.

Australian Pelican, River Murray, Loxton

Australian Pelican, River Murray, Loxton

The visit was rushed and not very productive as far as birds were concerned. I did manage to get the above photo of an Australian Pelican cruising the shallows near where I parked. Other birds seen in the vicinity include:

  • Australian Wood Duck
  • Pacific Black Duck
  • Little Raven
  • Galah
  • Yellow Rosella
  • Little Corella
  • Little Black Cormorant
  • Silver Gull
  • Unidentified Tern (possibly Gull-Billed Tern)
  • Crested Pigeon
  • Rock Dove
  • Australian Magpie
  • Australian Magpie Lark
  • White Plumed Honeyeater
  • Red Wattlebird
  • Noisy Miner
  • House Sparrow
  • Common Starling
  • Welcome Swallow
  • Striated Pardalote
  • Wren (heard – possibly a Superb Blue)
River Murray at Loxton, South Australia

River Murray at Loxton, South Australia

This photo shows the low level of water in the Murray River at present. The reeds in the middle right of the photo are normally quite green and in the water. The whole river system needs several years of above average rainfall and snowfalls in the catchment areas to replenish the water to its normal levels.

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