Australian Birds and Animals

As I started writing this morning, I glanced out of my office window and saw a male King Parrot arrive at the bird feeder. I try to keep up a nectar mixture with soaked bread, surrounded by sunflower seeds and parrot seed mix.

Lorikeets arrived soon after and it was time for him to go.

The Australian King Parrot ( Alisterus scapularis) is native to Eastern Australia. It Inhabits forested regions, eucalyptus wooded ares and rainforests, feeding on insects, seeds and fruits.

The Rainbow Lorikeet

The Rainbow Lorikeet, (Trichoglossus haematodus), inhabits rainforest, coastal woodlands and bush areas. They feed mainly on fruit and nectar and have a unique brush tongue to more easily collect nectar and pollen from flowers. Here, he uses that tongue to drink a sweet syrup and soaked bread mixture.

Now that Spring has arrived, there's plenty of activity in my back garden, in and around the bird feeder.

My garden from an upstairs window (where I work on my blogs about frogs).

Here's a small section of my garden where I grow a variety of bromeliads. They are easy to grow in the Sydney area and even easier as you travel North. Easy, because the don't rely on their root system for nutrients, and as long as they are not allowed to dry out, they're fine. Every year, young plants or "pups" grow from the base and can be removed when they are about half the adult size.

Because bromeliads are always full of water, (or they should be), frogs love 'em. I caught this little fella one morning, "just relaxin'". I've uploaded a video of him as well.