More birds from Canberra gardens.

[AussieChris]

Hello,

I have a few more Pics, all of my Pics I have taken so are not from the Internet.
Rainbowlorikeet_zps1e912e69.jpg Photo by CRB60 | Photobucket These are only recently found around here, normally they are up north on the coast.

Red rumped grass Parrot. Parrotongrass_zps4239c3e9.jpg Photo by CRB60 | Photobucket These are behind a local Shopping mall.

The next are Finch's RedbrowFinch_zps98986a18.jpg Photo by CRB60 | Photobucket Not a Parrot, but another common bird ( with some colour ) around the area.

 

[Mike17]

I'm not surprised that loris have become naturalised around Canberra, Chris, apart from the bitter cold in winter. Rainbow lorikeets are a pest in some parts of WA, and are naturalised around Perth (as well as Auckland, NZ, I believe). There would certainly be plenty of food for them with all the wonderful parks and gardens around Canberra. Presumably there are enough plants flowering through winter to allow them to keep up their body heat. Our guy ate more through winter, when we were in western NSW he lived on the verandah which was very cold (some severe frosts) although not as cold as Canberra.

 

[AussieChris]

Mike17,

I can remember when there were no Sea-gulls in Canberra. And if you go back, there were no Galahs in the west. Things change though. Water for stock has changed the distribution of Galahs and other birds. With all the buildings leaking heat, if they ( Rainbow Lorrikeets ) can gather enough food they will get through winter. In any case many people feed all sorts of birds. I thought I would post up some of our colourful birds, as the US lacks the variety we take for granted. My GF just got back from visiting her sister in the US and made a comment to that affect.

 

[MikeyTN]

Yea we don't have the parrot varieties like you guys have out there and the ones that's out and about people try to get rid of them by calling them pest and illegal to own in some of the states....

 

[Mike17]

Yea we don't have the parrot varieties like you guys have out there and the ones that's out and about people try to get rid of them by calling them pest and illegal to own in some of the states....

We have a pretty good variety of parrots and cockatoos in the wild (even eclectus, in a very restricted part of the country) but fairly limited in aviculture due to import restrictions (macaws, greys, amazons very expensive). I've travelled more than most, and seen great flocks of some of the cockatoo species.

Not sure whether you're suggesting parrots are a pest in US (they can become pests, hence the ban on Quakers- they are also banned in my current state of Oz, as well) or in this country, in areas they're native to. The issue, which Chris from Canberra has noted, is that there is a lot more water available in this country now with agriculture, plus, vast amounts of food, if galahs and the like choose to raid wheatfields etc. I've lived in the far north of Queensland, and seen enormous flocks of Sulphur Cresteds in maize fields, literally thousands of birds. They breed up when there's extra food and water, obviously. Also, the opening up of land for agriculture suits birds like galahs, while forest birds like Black Cockatoos decline.

I lived on Norfolk Island for some time- there, non-native Eastern Rosellas were shot. Reason? they competed for nest hollows with the endemic Norfolk Is Green parrot (kakariki subspecies) which had been on the brink of extinction. On the mainland, they're protected.

 

[AussieChris]

Hello,

The risk of losing a species is always there, which is why I would like to see the rare ones bred to ensure their survival. Around here we have Indian Minors, which also displace parrots. Cane toads with wings would summarize their impact. They also take Dog food. I have a novel fix, I put the Dogs food in a bucket. He can get his head in and get everything out, but birds cant get down to the food. It is jammed in a tyre so it wont tip over.

As this country has only been settled for a bit over 200 years, the impact on wildlife has been recorded. We are most likely no worse than any other country through the ages though. Things have become extinct on the mainland just before anyway. The reason I like to see all native wildlife preserved is it may have a use later, apart form the fact that we should keep it all safe. An example is the Platypus or Gastric brooding Frog. It can turn off its digestive system which could be great for people needing to heel stomach ulcers. Frogs are also under threat in general. There is a fungus in Cat excrement that kills them. For the sake of wildlife, they should all be de-sexed and breeding ones kept in cages. Now if a Native species of Possum was domesticated, they would be an ideal companion pet, and the excrement wont stink as much. If any get away, they wont be a problem for wildlife, and wont need much medical care as they are native and not affected by much. It always amuses me when I see people protesting about culling Kangaroos, ( which have bred to a huge excess ) and they are interviewed at home with Cats there.

Kangaroos are big, and can travel a large distance. With less wildlife corridors now they can take all the food for smaller animals and eat them out. They ( small animals ) wont be able to re-populate from other areas because of a lack of cover, distance and predators.

My view anyway.

 

[Mike17]

I agree completely about kangaroo culls. Years ago I was in the US at a time when kangaroo skin products were banned thanks to lobbying by animal rights activists, claiming kangaroos were "endangered" when in fact they are in numbers hundreds of times more than at the beginning of European settlement. It's so easy to make wild claims from the comfort of your loungeroom halfway across the world. It also leaks support away from much less cuddly animals, like the frogs you mention, Chris.

 

[AussieChris]

Kangaroos

Hello,

Some species are endangered, they are not the ones being culled. Around here it is the Eastern Grey. Now these have a remarkable ability to survive, they have evolved with the ability to have 2 babies on the go. The second is a spare that is fed a different type of milk which stops development. If being chased a mothew will throw the baby from the pouch and come back for it later. If the first is lost, or after a bad season the spare develops. It lets them build up number quickly after a bad season. Around here with all the water available, and woodland cleared every season is quite good.

Now in the Canberra area, they come down from the hills to eat peoples lawns. I hit one on a main arterial road in peak hour traffic driving home. I dont know many people that havn't hit one in the Metro area, and it can be fatal for a Motorbike. I arrived just after an accident many years ago, it was a fatal as someone swerved to miss a Roo.

If people feed them, they can become aggressive and demanding. With the numbers up, they also kill Dogs if they need to. When a Dog comes after them, they will swim out in water then hold the Dog under when it comes after. A kick from a big one can rip a Dog open. There was a case some years ago when a Womans " Yap box " Dog was drowned. It was " only trying to play with its tail " A wild animal ? She must have been going to a Mensa meeting. She made the media having a whinge saying it could have been a child. I have my doubts that would happen, in any case both should be supervised. The Dog owner was also in breach of the law letting it happen.

I know I have Hijacked my own thread, but I am trying to add info in context to the topic. Now Whales are not a problem, and the Japanese didn't like us shooting Kangaroo's when they were in plague proportions. The Oceans belong to us all, and the dwindling numbers should be left alone IMO. There are too many people in the world to be able to live without mechanized farming and food gathering, so as we change things we have a duty to minimize the impact. Culling Kangaroos is part of that, and getting rid of introduced / problem animals is another.

 

[Captsteve]

Regardless of the problems,You have some beautiful bird to look at down there!

I'll trade you for some citified pigeons anytime! lol

 

[AussieChris]

Hello,

You can keep your pigeons, we already have introduced ones. We have native variety's also. The 3 continents that have interesting and colourful birds are Australia, Africa and South America. Apart from the fact that I live here, and we speak the same language it is quite safe by comparison to travel and explore around here. There is a lot of interesting wildlife to interact with, in the wild and some Reserves / Nat Parks.

We are getting close to summer here, do any member think about coming over to look around ? ( as a group ) There seems to a number of Aussies here on the Forum that can recommend some great places to look at the Birds / Wildlife.

 

[Mike17]

Re: Kangaroos

Hello,


I know I have Hijacked my own thread, but I am trying to add info in context to the topic. Now Whales are not a problem, and the Japanese didn't like us shooting Kangaroo's when they were in plague proportions. The Oceans belong to us all, and the dwindling numbers should be left alone IMO. There are too many people in the world to be able to live without mechanized farming and food gathering, so as we change things we have a duty to minimize the impact. Culling Kangaroos is part of that, and getting rid of introduced / problem animals is another.

Don't get me started on Japanese whaling!!! Their argument that we kill kangaroos is a nonsense. Presumably, they kill rats and mice, we cull kangaroos when their numbers skyrocket (they can plummet, too, quite naturally, if feed drops off, but in a city they'll come in and eat lawns...).

The Japanese manufactured their "tradition" of eating whalemeat. In actual fact they only started eating it after WWII when other protein was in short supply. They have, of course, eaten dolphin (which are coastal) for centuries. Norwegians and Icelanders have eaten whale meat for centuries, and I support their right to take small numbers of whales as long as not endangered species like the Blue. Ditto Inuit and other "traditional" hunters although I do take issue with "traditional" hunters insisting on taking otherwise possibly protected species by non-traditional means ( eg skidoo and rifle by Inuit hunting caribou, Au Aborigines taking dugong (sea cow) by speedboat and rifle. If they insist on traditional hunting, hunt using traditional weapons!

The Japanese contention that their whaling is "scientific" is laughably stupid. The idea that you need to kill the object of your investigation went out in early 1900s, if not before, and when they did kill,"specimen collectors" took great care to preserve their specimen since it might be on display in a museum for decades or more. They weren't thinking how good their specimen would taste

 

[AussieChris]

Hello,

The whale is a sort of traditional meat for the Japanese. The old guys want to keep the traditional ways, but the young ones wont eat it. Traditional food should be caught in the traditional way. With modern technology it will drive a species to extinction. With the " old ways " it would already be gone. And animals taken for " scientific purposes " should not end up for sale as food.

If I went to Japan and shot a large number of people, what would I be ?

A A researcher.

B A terrorist.

C Someone who remembers pearl harbour.

D A gun happy nut job.

E A drunk Australian who doesn't like Toyata's

The correct answer could be any or all.

I have never eaten nor do I wish to Whale meat. I am happy with the seafood I eat, which are of all in large numbers and IMO safe from extinction. Some are even farmed.

Back to topic, they are in no position to judge if we cull excess kangaroos. The same may apply to other " cute " animals. If they are out of place, they could pose a threat to native species.