I have used the recommended nesting boxes for Pardalotes and they didn't even look at them!
I had a very successful Pardalote nest in a stable and all I used for the tunnel was a the cardboard cylinder of a toilet roll!
The Striated Pardalote is one of my favourites. These little birds have a range of communication calls, including hissy-fits from the female when the male approaches the nest! I never tire of their presence and they are quite the acrobats.
This one is putting the finishing touches to their nest.
I must confess the photo could have been better, but the position of the sun can pose a bit of a problem (and if I had adjusted the camera settings)! :-)
(Click to enlarge)
11 comments:
JL, I had them breed here for several years in a box I made, but the sparrows beat me eventually. Even though I made the entry as small as possible sparrows still got in.
I only had one sparrow invasion and it was late in the Pardalote breeding season the year I put the nest up, Duncan. I just stuffed the tunnel with newspaper until the following season.
That learnt 'em! :-)
Hmmmm.... I'll have to check out the local pet shop next time we need chook food.
G'day JL,
Lovely, lovely, lovely. Just great little birds aren't they? The Noisy Miners here chase off the Pards on a regular basis, but I'm hoping one day a pair will persist.
Nice report, thanks.
Gouldiae
Thanks Mosura and Gouldiae.
Goudliae - we are virtually miner and starling free here, which is great. I don't think I've seen a Noisey Miner in 27 years and only the odd starling in very low numbers. I hope your Pardies have success sooner rather than later. They are brilliant little birds.
Lovely photo.
I have never heard of Pardalotes using nesting boxes of any kind, but I did see a report from Canberra of a Pardalote going into someone's roof space.
Great photo. The angle of the bird as it is about to fly in, plus the piece of bark or whatever, is great.
Well done.
Denis
Thanks Denis,
I think it's carrying a thin blade of grass or fibre from a fan palm.
G'day JL,
Miner free - you lucky devil. I remember one time reading some advice about how to set up your property to attract native species, "If you have Noisy Miners, move somewhere else".
Just yesterday, there was a Royal Spoonbill on the golf course dam next door, a first for the dam. I grabbed the camera and took about 3 shots before the resident miner army chased it off. Why, I wonder? A spoonbill is hardly any competition for habitat niche for the miners, surely?
Gouldiae
Morning Gouldiae,
Perhaps there should be some sort of eradication programme organised for the Miners, Gouldiae.
This being a grape growing district, when I first moved here, there was an 'open season' on Starlings. I'm sure that's why their numbers are now well under control.
It must be so frustrating observing Miners wreaking havoc amongst the native birds.
I'm sure I read somewhere about trapping being quite a good way to control Miner populations. I think it was in NSW. Denis might know more about it.
Hi JL and Gouldiae
There is a possible confusion re Mynas and Miners. Noisy Miners, a native Honeyeater, grey with a black face, and yellow markings. They do gang up on other birds. But being natives, they are protected.
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Common (or Indian) Mynas are those brown birds with black heads and white patches in their wings. They breed in and around towns - in roof spaces, and also in tree hollows. They are noisy and aggressive, but while they do breed in the bush, tend to be associated closely with people. They love food scraps, rubbish and especially dog food. They are distantly related to Crows, etc. They are not native, and so are not protected. There have been trapping programs in Canberra and maybe some other places, but while not "protected" the RSPCA has a say in how they are "dealt with". Personally, if I knew where they are nesting I would have no qualms about destroying the nest. But when trapping adult birds one is meant to follow certain "protocols".
There are websites about Common Myna control programs. Google search "Dr Chris Tidemann" + "Common Myna".
Hope that helps.
Denis
Thanks Denis, my sister who is the Birdo of the family, set me straight on the Indian Myna! I'm the one confused, not Gouldiae! :-)
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