Bird Feeding - Good or Bad #2

As with my lost post, my next few posts will be the results that I’ve submitted.
I can’t tell you all how much I support this survey. If you google the feeding issue, all you get is a lot of why not to. The why is mostly myth that the CSIRO study dismissed. I could find no factual cause & effect study. Well here is one. If you feed birds or have a bird bath then I encourage to register.
https://csdb.org.au/feedingbirds/home.aspx

These are the photos I submitted to the survey from the 20 min window they requested, as well as what happened before & after.

6/8/16

Tapas Bar
Today’s Menu; Finely sliced pear & grapes with apple & rockmelon wedges, sprinkled with Panko Breadcrumbs. I added some flowers from the backyard for some colour & also to see if any birds were interested.

During the 20 minutes; This was to be a very quiet day. The Lorries turned up and cleaned me out.

Today’s attendees were; Red the Red Wattlebird, Cedrick & Daphne the Lorikeets, Brad the Satin Bowerbird & Button the Kookaburra.

Red the Red Wattlebird crowned with yellow wattle.

If God was born in Saratoga......

The Bible would reference plagues of Lorikeets.

It took 20 mins to eat me out of house & home.

This is unusual in as much as these 2 don't get on.

Cedrick doesn't like anyone, but in particular Brad.

They both love the grape.

But right now Red is giving everyone such a hard time.

Tolerance is being demonstrated.

A 'One' united kind of thing.
"We hate the Red club"

That's Mal in the background.

Always the opportunist.

The Tranquillity Pool

Both Red & Cedrick had a drink.

Red daintily drinking.

Dainty doesn't fit the mould of Red lately.

Where as we have Cedrick.

He's a face first sort of guy.

And that fits his mould perfectly

8/8/16

Today’s Menu; Red grapes, rice, banana & paw paw. As a garnish, some fresh wattle.

During the 20 minutes;

Today’s attendees were; Red the Red Wattlebird, Shiloh the Satin Bowerbird, Mal the Noisy Miner, Button the Kookaburra & the Lorikeet’s Cedrick & Daphne.

Decisions. Decisions.

Not really. He's not geared up to eat fruit.

So his options are limited.

Rice is good. That's Wattlebird size.

And he'll lick the shit out of the mandarin slice.

Unlike Red, Shiloh has no such limitations.

All is fair game, and he likes it all.

I don't know whether to label Mal an "Opportunist" or "Optimist"

But he is certainly sticking his head into the Lions Den.

This will interest the Survey crew.

Button, last years bub has a sweet tooth.

As a matter of fact, a few of my Kooka family like fruit & veg

The Tranquillity Pool

Pedro the Pee Wee, Shiloh and Red, popped in for a cool drink.

Pedro the Pee Wee having a cool sip.

Well actually no bird can sip (except pigeons & doves)

As matter of fact, very few animals can. We are one of the lucky few.

With the Tapas Bar occupied,

Shiloh grabs a drink while he waits

Red was the last to visit.

I find it interesting that a few birds drink like this.

For all the world it looks like their sucking.

I would have thought a "scoop and tilt' like the Kookas do, a more effective method.

After hours was great. I had a couple of new visitors.

A young Lorikeet called in to check out the Tapas Bar. The very young birds have dark beaks. This guy was real curious, biting everything, including the wooden Tapas Bar. He seemed fascinated with the wattle, having a game of tug of war with it.

What are these star-bursts of yellow?

He looked it up and down for a minute......

Then decided to grab some. I think he was checking the texture, like a kid would with a hand.

I'd watched him pick up & drop everything else on the Tapas Bar.

But this was different. He started to pull. And pull. And pull.

Eventually he let go, it sprang back and.......

Puck me.

These things fight back

Soon after another new visitor turned up. Stan the Grey Butcherbird. He was a regular last year, and only recently returned.

I'M BAAACK.

What's good today?

Eye ball to eye ball.

Not a scene you'll likely see.

With Red being Red right now, it has certainly had a dramatic effect on who gets on with who.

Only a couple of days ago these guys were at each other’s throat. Literally.

Food can be both the Pacifist & Antagonist

A Koobbit is a rare critter & unique to Saratoga.

One second it’s a Kookaburra, then you blink, and WTF, a Rabbit.

Shape Shifting to a critter more suited to the menu.

A Kookaburra.

A Koobbit.

Bet the Survey crew don't have one of these.

Two of the Bowerbird tribe turn up. Brad and Shiloh.

I only wished they liked to dine together.

Brad about to try some paw paw

Since the Wattle sprigs were set up, Shiloh likes to land behind it.

I'm sure he thinks he's invisible.

To me it looks like a Wattle Cloak a bit like a

Parliamentarian might wear.

The Tongue maketh the Bird.

Have a look at Brads. He's a fruit eater. You'll notice it's spatula shaped at the end of what looks like a fairly strong muscle. They push this up to the roof of their beak, which is similar in shape except it has a groove. Brad squishes the fruit which not only mashes it, but the juice is pushed into that groove, running down to his stomach.

Stay tuned for part 3. I hope you've enjoyed. If you're a bird feeder, remember register now.

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