At 02:03 PM 13/07/2012, you wrote:
Hi Roy et al.
As a long-term Canberra gardener, I was never aware that Camellias
contain nectar.
But, as with your White-eared HEs, my local (Robertson NSW) Lewin's
HEs have taught me that Camellias (especially the single varieties)
obviously do contain nectar.
In winter, and Spring my local Lewin's HEs regularly harvest nectar
from my camellias outside my Study window. But the resident
Spinebills seldom do.
Denis, Roy and everyone,
I have friends with old established gardens and the honeyeaters
virtually bypass everything else in their garden to get to their
camellias. If you look into some of the single varieties such as
"Setsugekka" you can see a pool of nectar at the base of the
stamens. The biggest single bird attractant in my garden is actually
Abutilons (Chinese Lanterns). They are attractive to honeyeaters,
always dense enough for small birds to hide in them, always have a
few aphids about them for a feed, and even in Canberra they flower
for 9 months of the year. I wouldn't be without them in the garden
now, for birds if nothing else. So many people say that only natives
are useful for feeding birds and they are missing out on far better
food sources in some cases, at least in our climate.
Cheers.
Paul T.
Higgins, ACT.
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