Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Off topic forum > Gardening

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 8th, 2012, 10:05 AM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Hooray! It's Autumn.

9 months till our next hot Summer. Yay! Must be Spring in the cold countries so I hope to see someone else's flowers and gardens soon. To start this thread though, a Blood Lily, Haemanthus coccineus. Given to me by my S.I.L. and flowering for the first time.
Then a Kniphofia(red hot poker). I rushed out the other morning to try and get a photo of a New Holland Honeyeater that was feeding on the nectar of this plant, and while I failed because that bird had flown, I did get a photo of this female Crimson Rosella, a very rare and welcome visitor here. The male is a stunning bird and I am hoping they are shifting into this area.
Attached Images
   
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old March 8th, 2012, 10:31 AM
Melinda's Avatar
Melinda Melinda is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,247
oh my god, I love that bird, can't imagine seeing them flying free. our snow is starting to melt, have unseasonally warm weather right now, I see flooded basements in the near future
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old March 8th, 2012, 11:19 AM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
I love that Rosella, too! Hope you can manage to catch a shot of the honeyeater later, GF!

That blood lily is pretty!! I've never seen one before...
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old March 8th, 2012, 09:49 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 717
It would be fasinating to see a bird outside like that instead of robins and sparrows all the time.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old March 8th, 2012, 10:50 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Here is a link to Crimson Rosellas. We saw them a lot as we drove down beside the Grampians Mt range to dog shows at Hamilton but all the time we have lived here I've hoped we'd see them shift into this area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Rosella

Our common Rosella here though is the Eastern rosella.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Rosella

We often have these in the garden and see small groups of them in the forest opposite us, or along roadsides. Strange that they are so colorful against our very drab 'bush'.

The Blood Lily is strange, Hazel, it puts up two huge leaves, then when they die down you get these red shaving brush-like flowers. Quite expensive to buy, prices range from $13.50 a bulb to $33 or more. Glad mine were a gift.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old March 9th, 2012, 10:33 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 717
I thought the crimson one had amazing colors, but so does the Eastern. Are they really loud birds? I wouldn't care how much noise they made, they are beautiful.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old March 9th, 2012, 11:13 PM
pbpatti's Avatar
pbpatti pbpatti is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 2,874
So different, our N.American birds and the birds of the rest of the world. Thanks for sharing your birds with us Goldfield.
__________________
It Is What It Is
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old March 9th, 2012, 11:42 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Lindapalm, the Eastern Rosella is the smaller of the two ,28 - 33cm, compared to the Crimson's 35 - 38cm. Now this is taken from my bird book. Voice of the Eastern is "Bell-like 'pee-pity, pee-pity' on one note. High ' clink, clink' in flight". Quite unobtrusive really. The Crimson on the other hand is "Brassy 'kweek, kweek' in flight, 'p-link, p-link'; bell-like whistle, perched" . That bell-like chiming call is very nice, but the 'kweek, kweek' is noisy, one flew by just before I started this.
We also get heaps of smaller, pretty birds like Red-Rumped parrots, Musk Lorikeets and Purple Crowned Lorikeets, and just the occassional Rainbow Lorikeet. The really noisy ones though are the ever present Galahs, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and Long Billed Corellas. Big flocks of them that come in to drink at our dam and spend the nights in our trees so they can wake us up at dawn, screeching . When it rains after a long dry spell they go nuts, Hanging upside down from branches, wings spread out for a chance to bath, flying madly in all directions, you can easily see how they are loving it.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old March 10th, 2012, 10:46 AM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 717
It must be fasinating to watch all that color in the sky. We only have blue jays or orioles, which don't even come close to yours. What do they eat?
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old March 10th, 2012, 08:29 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
LOL. Funny you should ask, lindapalm, because this morning I discovered that Crimson Rosellas eat pears. I wondered why she was hanging around when we had no berries on our cotoneasters, then found her trapped under the bird net on our pear tree. We'll take the net off so she can have the pears without getting hurt, pears being cheap to buy. Oh, she safely made her escape by the way. Basically they are seed and fruit eaters, with some insects.

I thought I might include two better photo's of the Haemanthus coccineus, to show how it grows, with that very thick stem. Last photo is the rose, Just Joey.
Attached Images
   
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old March 24th, 2012, 09:10 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Sorry I've not posted in this thread for a bit, I wasn't gardening due to health problems. Now the roses are just starting their Autumn flush so here are 3 to start with.
Brilliant Pink Iceberg, which I like because of its pink stamens.
Ebb Tide.
A mystery rose. Labelled as Claire Austin when I bought it but it looks more like Twilight Mist to me. Nice anyway.
Attached Images
   
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old March 24th, 2012, 09:24 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
A new Grevillea I bought for the honeyeaters to enjoy.
The birds love this red Nerine.
A plain orange geranium.
Attached Images
   
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old March 24th, 2012, 09:48 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Something a bit different now. A Bromeliad. Wickedly sharp points on the leaves. I thought I'd put it somewhere safe, out near the front birdbath, but it still got me when I was filling it!
This rose is 'Leander'.
Cheating a bit here, this final flower is a Banksia up at my friend's place. Her property is sandy so she can grow these Natives, but down here we have clay, worse luck.
Attached Images
   
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old March 24th, 2012, 10:03 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Very cool bromeliad and that Banksia is something else! Beautiful roses, as usual!! Do you see a lot of honeyeaters?

Hope you're feeling better!

Oh--and I thought of you the other day. A stray 'red heeler' was found in the county and ended up at the shelter. I mentioned that it looked an awful lot like an Australian Cattle Dog...heheh...which, of course, it was! I had no idea (or had forgotten, take your pick) they were the same...
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old March 24th, 2012, 10:06 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Can't finish this without a 'pretty in pink' post.
First one of the Asters I particularly liked.
The rose 'Skylark'.
Crepe Myrtle.
Attached Images
   
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old March 24th, 2012, 10:08 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
That aster is stunning! Ours are mostly white or lavendar/blue. Your crepe myrtle blooms in fall? I think it's a spring/summer bloomer here (but I could be wrong since I've never had one).

And surprise!! Another beautiful rose!!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old March 25th, 2012, 10:45 AM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
It is a pretty pink Aster, Hazel, a real nice shade of pink I mean. Yes, the crepe myrtle is blooming now, but that's actually my friend's tree. We had one when we first came here, a much darker pink than that but it died, I was an even worse gardener back then than I am now.
We mainly see New Holland Honeyeaters, White plumed Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds and Noisy Miners, but get annual visits from Blue faced Honeyeaters and maybe 8 others on rare occassions. Our prettiest were Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters but they have only been here once in 35 years. A recent visitor is this little Restless Flycatcher, aka a 'Scissors Grinder' because of his very unique call, continuous whirring hisses as it hovers. Unmistakeable. It lives in the forest opposite us but usually appears in the garden at this time of the year. It has a small erectile crest.
I'll forgive the confusion about the name red heeler. Look how many people kept calling GSD's Alsations after the name change. The breed was originally shown as Australian Heelers, and of course you either owned a red heeler or a blue heeler. Hope the one there finds a good home. They're a great dog.
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old March 25th, 2012, 01:34 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
That's a sweet little flycatcher! Here, flycatchers tend to be a pretty drab bunch--mostly brown or olive with the occasional wash of yellow. Your restless flycatcher looks a lot like our tree swallow!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old March 26th, 2012, 02:00 AM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Do any of your flycatchers hover? This bird, the Magpie, is one of my favorites. They carol beautifully, they are so intelligent I had one mother bringing her youngsters over here to eat the cats' food, and while they are a common bird, I just never get sick of them. In this photo two Magpies had been checking out my sheep feeders for leftover crumbs of ewe supplement pellets.
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old March 26th, 2012, 06:33 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Magpies in the US tend to be opportunists, too. They're not found around here, though. I'd have to go further north and west.

The master-hoverers around here are the hummingbirds, which hover to drink nectar and can fly in any direction (including reverse). North American flycatchers, on the other hand, are for the most part drab little guys that gather insects by hawking. They can hover, but only for a brief amount of time, usually only as they grab an insect and are about to fly back to the perch they're hawking from. And most of the smaller species all look alike--they're the devil to try to identify unless they're vocalizing.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old March 26th, 2012, 07:56 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
I'm almost certain we do not have a bird here that can fly backwards, Hazel. LOL. Amazing. I'd swap you all of these for one little hummingbird.
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old March 27th, 2012, 12:32 AM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Ooooo...if they were mine to give, I might take you up on that!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old March 27th, 2012, 01:58 AM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
LOL. We always want what we haven't got. I find myself wanting Queensland birds down here in Victoria, and it isn't going to happen!.
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old March 27th, 2012, 08:21 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 717
I would take you up on that too, if I could. It would be great to look up in a tree and see those birds. Are you going to miss your flowers, now that Autumn is here, or are you glad for a break?
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old March 28th, 2012, 02:37 AM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Autumn should be okay, lindapalm, because the roses will have an Autumn flush, but Winter will be depressing. Although ..... last year I may have had flowers all year round. You could have all the noisy white cockatoos, the Galahs here are more to my liking, a quieter, gentler bird. They were feeding in the paddock last night and glad they could find something to eat because my sheep can't. We are almost back into drought conditions again, worse luck. I couldn't get closer to the galahs or they'd have flown off.
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old March 28th, 2012, 03:57 AM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Look who turned up to eat in the garden this evening. Excuse the grainy look, it's taken from a distance at dusk, and my camera is nowhere near as good as Hazel's. A pair of Eastern Rosellas.
Attached Images
   
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old March 28th, 2012, 09:31 AM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Oh, beautiful! Both the Galahs and the Rosellas! They look so exotic to my northern hemisphere eyes.

A shame you're getting droughty again. We're in the same boat this spring--they keep promising us rain, but it misses us, and we're coming off a winter with little snow. The forest is starting to get crispy... I think it's going to be a long fire season this spring. Hope you get some rain soon!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old March 28th, 2012, 07:42 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
Imagine what beautiful photo's you could have got with your camera, Hazel.

I feel for you with your fires season upon you. Yours and mine are great places to live when conditions are ideal. All Spring and Summer here we had to watch storms go either north or south of us, or just drop down to the south before they got here. So ridiculous when so much of Australia has been flooded. I more or less feed lot my sheep. Feed them hay and pellets, so no grass but they're fine. The effect on my garden though is so depressing.
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old March 28th, 2012, 08:20 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 717
You get to see so much color when you look out your window, all we see are black crows and brown sparrows. I, too, am waiting for hummingbirds, not only are they pretty, but interesting to watch.
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old March 28th, 2012, 08:29 PM
Goldfields's Avatar
Goldfields Goldfields is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,282
We're getting a bit of a sparrow infestation now too, lindapalm. It happened once before, back when our cats were young, and between them they got rid of them totally. Scared them off most likely, they'd go up to the rafters where the nests were. Now my cats are old I think we could be swamped by them.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:59 AM.