Some of me Harpies this morning

[olbod]

There is a mob of about 30 that come in every morning.
There were others scattered about the yard front and sides.
They give the place a good going over.
A pair of Plovers live in my back yard.
They have three young ones now almost full grown that will soon be sent packing to fend for themselves.
They usually steer clear of the Harpies.
Behind me shed there are mango and orange trees and my resident mob of crows raid the trees and scatter half eaten oranges all over the yard which I have to clean up and bin. I have thanked them a number of times and said that I dont need them to pick the fruit for me but...
The sound of these crows talking to each other all day is great.
At night I have the sound of the Whistler ducks on me roof at full throttle.
Sometimes I have to think real loud to hear myself, even with hearing aids.
The Bro cant understand when I say I dont live on my own.

[Ausfree]

We have a version of them down here. Only difference is, ours are all white with the same bent beak. They can be a nuisance, but if they make you happy........why not!!!!:D:D:D

[S3ute]

Hello from Brisbane.


It would be a genuinely sad day when nothing of nature turns up in your yard.


Despite living in an urban environment, we get a regular parade of regulars through the yard and roof - bats, possums, carpet snakes, bluetongues, magpies, kookaburras, parrots and what have you. Plus the odd seasonal migrant - crested hawks, cuckoos etc.


Happy to share the space.


Cheers,

[BMKal]

Last night, we had a group of what I believe to be Kookaburra's strike up a chorus for about 5 minutes.

When I say "believe to be" - they didn't sound quite the same as others I've heard in the past, but I can't think of anything else that might sound the same - and I couldn't see them. I'm guessing that they are a local "variety" of the bird.

At the moment - I'm staying on the second floor of a multi-story block of apartments virtually in the Perth CBD, and surrounded by other similar buildings even larger than the one I'm in. Pretty close to the WACA though, and there's a fair bit of parkland and the Swan River within a stone's throw.

[AndyG]

I have a party of horn bills, locally known as Kokomo's in a tree near me, about 120 and noisy as all get out. They are basically prehistoric, mate for life and noisy as all buggery. Love my 5 am dawn coffee while they fire up for the day.

[Ausfree]

We have Rainbow Lorikeets often visiting us in our small yard. Here are some of them.:)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/1291.jpg (http://s756.photobucket.com/user/Ausfree/media/022_zps75fd8713.jpg.html)

[Ausfree]

Also the Kookaburra is a regular..........and noisy visitor.:) This one is sitting in a tree behind our place.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/1290.jpg (http://s756.photobucket.com/user/Ausfree/media/018_zps3b8fc8b2.jpg.html)

[Ausfree]

Small flocks of Corella's also like to visit us.:)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/1289.jpg (http://s756.photobucket.com/user/Ausfree/media/001_zpse6c75b67.jpg.html)

[Ausfree]

Tawny Frogmouths like to nest in the trees behind our place. Here on the left is Mr with Mrs on the right with the chick in front of her.:)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/1288.jpg (http://s756.photobucket.com/user/Ausfree/media/DSC_0362_zps171ffb13.jpg.html)

[Ausfree]

Like you Olbod, we enjoy having the birds around, we also have a family of Magpies who are regular visitors (Mr Magpie has even walked in the back door), Butcherbirds also hang around. Also Sulpur Crested Cockatoos hang around but we don't encourage them because they can do damage with their strong beaks.:)

[korg20000bc]

Harpies?
I was thinking you meant something like this:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/1229.jpg

[Ausfree]

Yep, the Harpies of Mythology. Actually the one's I remember seeing pictures of years ago, were a bit uglier than that one.:D

[digger]

I was always told that if you could catch Harpies,
you'd need pennicillan and lots of it!!




(sorry :twisted:)

[olbod]

Heh heh.
My late wife loved the books on mythology and David Eddings type stuff.
So do I, ive lots of them that I re read.
She named them Harpies and it stuck.
One of them has a mangled foot that it cant walk on very well, been here for years. He was Betty's favourite, she used to feed him stuff.
Saw him the other day sharing an orange with a crow.
A survivor.

[olbod]

Harpies?
I was thinking you meant something like this:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/08/1229.jpg

Mate, thats one of their real forms that they revert to when you take your eyes of them.
Try as I might I just cant catch them out but I will keep trying and continue to be nice to them.
You never know ?
Harpies or Spunkies ?

[gusthedog]

I'm building an Indian miner trap at the moment as they've made their way to our quiet corner of Victoria. They are chasing all our little wrens, finches, honey eaters and wattle birds away. But I'll get them yet.... :)

[JDNSW]

The most common birds I see in my yard are small wrens, and often Black Cockatoos. However, by far the most common wildlife is kangaroos, with the occasional echidna, goanna, emu. Of course, that is ignoring the insects and other arthropods!

John

[Roverlord off road spares]

We have a lot of birds coming in to our yard,parrots,kookaburra honey eaters, owls etc. Magpies are the best to keep Indian miners away, they chase them all the time out of the yard. We have a flowering gum, and I do not know how the lorikeets know when that tree is in flower but they turn up every year. At 5am and again at night to get there last feed of the day. That's why we love living in the Dandenong Rangers. The Magpies and the babies come right up to our back door waiting for some bread. We are sure if we left the door open they would just walk in.:):)

[gusthedog]

Please don't feed native birds bread as it's quite bad for them. If you insist on feeding native birds, there are much better alternatives (Burke's Backyard > Fact Sheets > Feeding Native Birds (http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Conservation-and-the-Environment/Feeding-Native-Birds/2331)). A better alternative altogether is designing a bird friendly garden

[bob10]

Butcherbirds & magpies feed on cheap mince at our place. The doves that live in the high rise [ an old American palm tree with the top cut off, & a plant of some kind growing up it, which gives good cover] feed on grass seeds, [ I let my grass go to seed before I cut it] . I have a constant battle with crows & my tomatoes, they even eat my macadamia nuts, by boring a hole in them, & eating out the inside.


The green parrots get drunk on the rubber tree flowers, & do crazy flying, zooming under our BBQ area, having a great time. It's a never ending fight between the butcher birds, & 12 apostles, each taking turns to chase the other. I have some native trees, grevilleas, planted. It's great to see the little honey eaters, when things are quiet. At the moment, Mrs magpie has bought her two siblings down to introduce them to us. One is a real character, very curious, watches all we do. I feed him worms from the garden, but the butcherbirds get jealous, & chase him. Speaking of butcher birds, when I get my bee hive, in September, I will have to work out a strategy to stop them eating the bees. They love them, apparently. Haven't seen the little green tree snake for a while, hope he's ok. Thankfully, Anthony the scrub Turkey, has moved on. [ named after Anthony Watmough, if you've seen him run, you would understand.]


Yesterday, saw a hawk, only the 3rd time since we have been here, have we seen this particular bird. The Koels will be here soon, they eat the Brazilian cherrys on the tree next door. We get a real good look at them from our dining room window. The black male even feeds the grey spotted female, cherries off the tree he selects. Aint nature grand. Bob