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Post by ouchy on Mar 24, 2007 13:10:16 GMT -5
This is the coolest thing ever! I was doing laundry when I heard a familiar screech that I hear frequently near the marina we head out of when we go sailing. The call of an osprey! Overhead, a hawk and an osprey were fighting--divebombing each other! How cool! If you dont' know what an osprey looks like, here is a link. www.tva.gov/environment/land/images/osprey3.jpgP.S. It wasn't cool that they were fighting--just that both birds are extremely beautiful, and the call of the osprey is so unique.
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Post by cherry on Mar 24, 2007 13:30:06 GMT -5
Wow I'd love to see stuff like that! I love the birds by my house but we don't really have many birds of prey, not that I have seeen anyway. Nearest we get is cheeky crows and magpies but they are funny and the songbirds are a lovely sound to wake up to! xx
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Post by AussieBird on Mar 29, 2007 3:16:02 GMT -5
I would definitely have run outside for a good look! The hard part would be deciding whether I should risk taking the extra time to get out my camera! I'm always very aware of the birdlife around me, and a good birdie encounter can lift my spirit for days The most exciting thing I've seen from this neighbourhood was a few really really huge dark coloured sea birds - they were utterly creepy in a wonderful way. For some reason they really reminded me of Harry Potter (?) There are plenty of cockatoos around here and they are relaxed enough to allow you to come right up to them, I love that.
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Post by AussieBird on Mar 29, 2007 3:17:03 GMT -5
Lol, c o c k a t o o s !
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Post by cherry on Mar 29, 2007 3:26:47 GMT -5
it makes me laugh the way the board does that, cos it looks like you have written some odd stuff! Which bird is that in your pic AussieBird? I have 2 budgies, Poppie and Daisy and they make me smile so much, I put their cage by my bedroom window because I have a bird feeder outside my window, and they love to see the birds come to the window I have recently seen some jays outside, they are great to watch and I'm very fortunate cos you don't get to see them much, they're very shy. Here's a pic They are crows and look so different, very clever and sociable with each other xx
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Post by AussieBird on Mar 29, 2007 3:50:58 GMT -5
The bird in my avatar is a rainbow lorikeet. There are plenty of them in Australia, in all the most populated places. They are beautiful, cheeky and noisy. They are not shy, so they are a photographers dream. Budgies are sweet. I have a c.o.c.k.atiel which is also an Australian desert bird. He doesn't care at all for other birds, but he LOVES people and he gets all excited every time he hears so much as a car door somewhere in the neighbourhood. I've never met a jay, I'm sure they're lovely; I know the thrill of seeing a bird that doesn't show itself often. I like seeing rosellas and fairy wrens - they're common enough to be seen and uncommon enough to be a special treat for me. I couldn't see your pic Cherry, sorry.
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Post by cherry on Mar 29, 2007 4:11:03 GMT -5
Bugger it worked before! This is the link that was supposed to show the pic. www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/images/jay5.jpg It was amazing I saw them when we first moved in and I had no clue what it was, cos it was so big and noisy and unusual looking! So I took it as a good omen, and saw them again yesterday as I was washing the dishes, they are lovely to look at. That lorikeet looks like it is posing, so cute! We have a bit of a parakeet population boom going on down south in England, apparently they are really noisy so you either love em or hate em! news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3869815.stmIn the park by my old house there was an escaped c.ockatiel hanging around, wish we could have caught it cos there are plenty of magpies to cause it trouble, and there have been a few kestrels there too, they are hunting birds. I love budgies, we have had a few cheeky ones, bogle (pronounced bo-gul) who liked to play on the floor and sit on your shoulder to style your hair, and mildred who liked to dance and roll over if you said 'play dead' and could nearly say her name (she would say wih-wooo if you said 'mil-moo' to her) cos we've always had budgies I've never had a chance to get a c.ockatiel. I hate it when people say they don't like birds, though i can understand if they have a fear of them. I cried like a baby when those two in particular died, they are like little people! I used to put cracked eggs out for the young magpies when I first moved here, but EVERYONE told me off for it! xx
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Post by AussieBird on Mar 29, 2007 5:07:42 GMT -5
Well... i followed the link and as it happens the pic you attached is now showing up too! Are they big?? They seem small. As for posing lorikeets, I once had the pleasure of meeting a scaly-breasted lorikeet who was leaning right into my camera and posing for all he was worth, i got some fantastic shots. the parakeet population sounds very exciting! it reminds me of a documentary i saw, "the wild parrots of telegraph hill". i just hope they don't end up needing to be culled - that would be so sad because they are very smart birds with their own personalities and it's not their fault where they were born. But I'm a strong believer in protecting native species. I had an escaped alexandrine (like in the pics with the article) staying with me for a few weeks, he was brilliant. So so smart. I re-united him with his owner but i was very sad to see him go. I was able to visit him yesterday and we spent half an hour kissing. Make sure you never put eggs out for birds, because of the bird flu (is that what they were telling you?). Pic links to some of my fave birds are: Crimson Rosella www.tvwc.org/Assets/CrimsonRosella.jpgEastern Rosella www.digiscoped.com/dslrgallery/rosella.jpgSulphur Crested Cockatoo www.sydneynature.com/birds/small/small_cockatoo1747.jpgFairy Wren home.iprimus.com.au/elouera7/!fairy%20wren.jpg King Parrot www.naturesimage.com.au/images/king-parrot-small.jpgRainbow Lorikeets www.bumfuzzle.com/Pictures/Australia/AU%20Lorikeet.JPGSacred Kingfisher www.ownbyphotography.com/SACRED_KFISHER2.jpgThat's just to name a few but I better not get too carried away!
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Post by cherry on Mar 29, 2007 6:26:18 GMT -5
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Post by AussieBird on Mar 29, 2007 8:57:40 GMT -5
Australia certainly is a treat to live in, despite the insects, although now that I'm living in a not-so-tropical part of Australia I don't see many insects. Wow, I still can't picture the jay being that size. It must be quite a sight! Cool! I'm not really into pigeons but that's probably because I've got lots of colourful parrots around me. That's awesome that you can have an area-specific bird list. Wish I could find one for my area. We get your blackbird here, it was introduced and is a pest. But they are kinda cute and they do make very lovely noises. They are nowhere near as bad as sparrows and starlings - these are very bad news for Australia. Probably the worst avian pest of all is the Indian Mynah, another member of the starling family. I very strongly dislike those. I have starlings that breed just above my bedroom window. They sound to me like they are sending code for war communications. Woodpeckers would be cool!! Your blue tit is really gorgeous (sorry couldn't get the great tit link to work)... gee this stuff sounds wrong!! As for robins, an Australian favourite is the Eastern Yellow Robin: z.about.com/f/wiki/e/en/2/2e/Eastern_Yellow_Robin.jpgWe have magpies too. I love their morning song. As for wagtails, we have the Willie Wagtail, they make a cute noise: www.bencruachan.org/blog/birds/willieblog.jpgAs for finches, the Gouldian Finch, although they don't live near me: www.rfadventures.com/images/Animals/Birds/finhes%20lady%20gouldian%20bg.jpgSome other favourites are: Tawny Frogmouths, they look like trees: members.iinet.net.au/~spr/froggies01.jpgBlack Cockatoo, these are intimidating but rewarding: users.bigpond.net.au/Barrie_Jamieson/Yellow-tailed_Black_Cockatoo_Coolum_Jamieson.jpgWedge Tailed Eagle (stealing kb's dinner) glorious creatures: www.convictcreations.com/football/footyimage/eagle.jpgThe good old Kookaburra - this guy and his mates love to get together and laugh like drunks: www.mareebaheritagecentre.com.au/images/kookaburra-large.jpgGalah: www.sydneynature.com/birds/big/galah0315.jpgTee hee that better do for now. If you email me I can send you my own pics. Good luck with the driving lesson!
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Post by AussieBird on Mar 29, 2007 9:01:41 GMT -5
Guess you would have to manually change the link for the black "thingy"atoo!!
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Post by kb on Mar 29, 2007 9:08:38 GMT -5
whats this about the ginormous insects?
Where do we have them in Oz?
I think ur hearing stories Cherry. Sounds like part of one of those scare campaigns to stop illegal immigrants. U know like about all our deadly crocs, sharks, all that rubbish.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 29, 2007 9:32:01 GMT -5
it makes me laugh the way the board does that, cos it looks like you have written some odd stuff! Yah. We used to not be able to even write "vagina." Everything would get changed to "thingy." I think "vagina" wound up being changed to "girl thingy!" Crazy!
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Post by cherry on Mar 29, 2007 17:20:31 GMT -5
How pretty is the Galah! It looks like the bird from neighbours, the one that lives in Susan's i think? I adore parrots, my two are ready for bed they stayed up to watch ER tonight but usually they go to sleep for 9pm. I don't like Mynah birds either, and starlings are crazy little things, they have taken over where our sparrows have declined, and like to bathe in dirty puddles! The robin is so beautiful, it looks like ours in it's summer holiday outfit! That eagle looks fantastically huge! I have always been freaked out by those tawny frogmouths, they look like an owl on a diet, aaargh! I have only seen a real kookaburra once and I said to the man at the petshop 'what is your Giant Kingfisher called?' He laughed his socks off and let me go behind the counter to look at it, it was very cheeky! It's amazing how some birds are the same all over the world, but then you get some brilliant variations, our look drab compared to their aussie cousins! Hey I think I have found something to do when I'm feeling rubbish now, web-bird-watching! The parakeets here are seen as a pest by some but they aren't threatening the natives as expected, so there is no excuse to cull them, apparently they can be very cheeky like lorikeets so i'm a fan! xx Ouchy I have definitely seen girlthingy around, i remember thinking 'why did I write that?' haha! xx
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Post by AussieBird on Mar 29, 2007 20:51:38 GMT -5
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