Backyard birds

Every morning I feed the birds, it is a ritual that has become accepted by the birds and if I am late the neighbourhood is told about it - the screeching of the lorikeets can be heard for quite some distance! In an earlier jotting I showed you the lorikeets, this time I am showing some of the finches that take advantage of the free feed.

Chestnut Breasted Finches are very social little birds and always seem to be in flocks. They live by waterways and feed on seed when it has just formed - the green soft seed. So these little fellows can often be seen clinging to tall grasses and "going for their lives". However the grass seeds in this ripening state do not last for ever, so the birds have then to forage - and one flock has discovered where the pickings are very easy.

Once the noisy lorikeets have left their dish of sugar water and bread the coast is clear for the finch invasion. We actually have three different finches that are local and regular visitors but I will show you the other two another time.

Sometimes these Chestnut finches are so numerous that they are like a swarm of flies. When it it really wet I put the feed dish on the veranda floor under the roof. with so many little feet and beaks pushing and shoving the seed is scattered all around so there are seeds and finches spread all over the veranda. Since they are small enough to be held in a closed fist these little birds do look like flies when they are in those sorts of numbers!

Small birds are the "bread and butter" of larger birds and because of this are very flighty. They have become quite accustomed to our company and fly in when we are seated at the table but in the beginning would scatter in wild confusion every time anyone made any move at all. (Seeds flying everywhere!)

The lorikeets and the black and white mudlarks are birds that like to tease the little ones and one bird will swoop down and land noisily on the bird feeder to scare the finches which fly off in desperation. The lorikeet (or mudlark) will then fly off and wait for the finches to return, settle down and relax and then do it again!We are led to believe that birds do not think - well I believe they have worked out a fun way to play!

AJ