Although I have had bird baths for many years, it wasn't until Keith
Brandwood re[plied to my message of 6 Dec. that I have paid much attention
to the different ways different species approach and use a bird bath.
Since then I have been paying particular attention and would like to share
some initial observations.
Noisy Miners approach warily, sit on the side or on a nearby branch and dive
in head first. They then quickly lift their heads, shake their bodies and
wings and fly off to a branch.
Blue-faced Honeyeaters fly straight in, dive in head first and continue
underwater to the other side, climb out and fly off.
Spotted Turtledoves stand in the water, bob down, stand up and shake
themselves. This is done several times before they fly off.
The Magpie-Larks simply put their heads in and have a good shake. They
don't care how close you are and even sit on the edge and call out if they
think there is not enough water. They sometimes even continue to sit on the
side while I use a hose to re-fill the bath.
The funniest of all was a Rainbow Lorikeet which kept my wife and I amused
for about five minutes. During that time, it would jump in from the edge,
immerse itself fully, roll over and flap its wings, stand on the side and
repeat the whole exercise. It looked like a medley swimmer at times with
one lap backstroke, another breaststroke, butterfly and of course freestyle.
Maybe we could organise a swimming carnival in the future.
Terry Pacey
27°57'02"S 153°24'12"E
Gold Coast
SE Qld
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
