Hello, I am new here. I have 'inherited' about 30 rainbow lorikeets in the last 6 months. They are greedy feeders and I wanted to know how often I should feed them, because they sit on the tree outside the house and keep a watch into my kitchen window all the day long! Also, will they move on to another area in the winter? Or, are they with me for good?
Welcome lorilee, hope you are going to have fun on the forum!! I think, if you stop feeding, one day, they will give up and move on!?( They can fend for themselves!)
M-L
Wow must be very noisy at your place then with all those rainbow lorikeets.
Lorilee if you like the rrainbow lorikeets and want to keep them around there are plenty of shrubs you can plant to keep them around. However they don't like to share their space much and will tend to bully other birds away.
So, I guess it depends on what you want to have in your garden. If you already have lots of shrubs in your garden that suit them, you don't need to, nor should you, feed them. They will move on when the blossoms fade.
If you want to keep shrubs you already have and dont mind the lorikeets but would like to attract smaller birds plant a lot of thick undergrowth beneath the shrubs and you can prune Australian natives back too.
Wollemi
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/
Hello to everyone that responded to my post. We already have a set up garden and there's unfortunately no more room to plant any more trees. Those rascals seem to be happy with the surroundings that we have at present. So, I assume when the leaves start falling, they may migrate? That's fine with me because as I already mentioned,they could eat all day and often come up to my kitchen window looking in for more food! I was told that they should be fed once a day, but I sometimes feed them 2 to 3 times!
Sorry , to be a pest, but all I can do, is stick my neck out again, (as I always do!), and repeat: THE BEST THING TO DO (in my opinion!), is to NOT FEED !! Where does the information to feed them (2 to three times) come from??? Native birds DO NOT NEED TO BE FED, it makes them SICK, and can KILL them! Even if this is the last thing I will say here, so be it!!! I stand by it!!! (now come on, who wants to contradict me? I'm ready !)
M-L
Wollemi, I just love the way you are responding to the issue of "to feed ,or not to feed", much more DIPLOMATIC than me! But I have come across this so many times, today, it blew my lid, I apologize to everyone I offended!! Sorry, sorry, mea culpa! Then again, as people here would have noticed, I'm a "provocateur"! As I have worked for so many organizations, (Green Peacce, Human Rights Organizations etc), that's me...! So, if you want me to, I apologize in advance!
M-L
Araminta, You misunderstood me. I was told at a pet store to only feed them once a day as they might have other places that feed them. I wasn't told to feed them 2-3 times; that was just me being weak! I know of an old family friend who used to feed them daily for many years, but don't know whether they migrated anywhere else in winter. As our gum trees etc are not deciduous!
Wollemi, You are right about them bullying. We also have some cockatoos come around wanting to be fed. We give them some crackers to pacify them. (I guess that's also the wrong food - is someone going to slap me on the wrist for this one too?)
The lori's manage to shun them out of the way. Also, those nasty, pesty, interfering Indian minors are given the boot by them. And another one, they even frighten off the magpies. The only birds that they don't frighten away are the lovely wood pidgeons that nibble on the leftovers... these are the only birds that are not pesty and I really find them gentile. No wonder they are known as the birds of peace! Remember Noe's flood how they sent out a couple of doves to see if all was clear after the flood? Ooh, I'm getting off the track now!
Well lorilee, I hate to tell you, Pet Stores want to sell seeds!! The more you feed, the more money they make!! You said it, crackers are the WRONG FOOD ! I can only repeat, the right food is: THE FOOD THEY FIND THEMSELVES ! There is plenty out there for them! ( Investigate a bit about the horrible diseases Parrots, and other birds transmit from one bird to the next at feeding stations!) About Noe's flood, sorry, you are talking to the wrong person here. As an Atheist, .... Noe(???), just stories to me....
M-L
Hey Amarita, you are so hyped up! Get off your high horse and stop preaching about it. These little creatures are being fed from more backyard owners than just me! Also, once again, you have misunderstood me. The pet shop owners DID NOT try selling me seeds. I was there buying nectar feed for them, which is the correct feed for rainbow lorikeets. Of course, to you and many others, Noah's flood is just a story, but don't you connect? Whether you like it or not, pidgeons/doves are known as the 'peace' birds. Can somebody out there please support me?
I'm not on any horse. Please do the birds a favour, and google " Psittacine, beak and feather disease", and "The danger of feeding Lorikeets"! Maybe, after you have read up about it, we can talk? (And, I'm not hyped up, you just don't understand, what I'm talking about!!!)
M-L
I think it best when discussing an emotional topic it is best to simply stick to facts and discuss them. Bringing religion or politics into a discussion does not help to educate or inform anyone. Likewise personal attacks of an individual does nothing to further the discussion.
Here on the bird forum there does seem to be many people on both sides of the 'to feed or not to feed' fence. Araminta and I are both on the 'not to feed' side of the fence. We both have good reasons for our stance.
I understand the desire to attract and keep such beautiful looking birds in your yard which is kinder than buying and caging birds for personal pleasure. You are correct that many other people are probably feeding the same birds. It is my hope that being here on the forum you will read something that inspires you to look at things a little differently.
it is healthy for birds to forage for their food. It is better that they have to work for their food as it is more interesting to them and it also ensures they have a varied diet. Feeding stations can and do offer opportunities for disease to readily spread through the bird population more rapidly.
If the birds already come to your yard for natural food that grows there they will come regardless of whether you feed them or not so long as the food lasts and will most likely return again next year for more of the same.
In the absence of the lorikeets while they are elsewhere your garden will attract many other interesting, beautiful and wondrous birds. If your garden is allowed to have a breather from the lorikeets.
You are right about the dove being a symbol of peace. My eldest son who passed away was named Anthony Colin which means Anthony = Strong man, Colin = Dove ( a symbol of peace) I liked the name and it seemed apt to him when he was born. As a boy it suited him more. He passed away when he was 6 years 10 months old. He is buried in the "peace" section of the cemetery.
When the lorikeets move on to feed elsewhere there will be more opportunity for many doves to come and visit with you and hopefully bring you more peace.
Whether Noahs Ark is a fanciful story or a record of hisotry is really not applicable to a bird forum.
Kind Regards
Wollemi
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/
OK guys - yes the feeding issue is one that is very passionate one.
Lorilee - BIBY's policy is that, whereever possible we shouldn't feed birds because of the potential for the spread of disease and the increase in dominant and aggressive birds. I guarantee that your lorikeets will not starve if you stop feeding them (studies have shown that, despite what we may think, birds do not become dependant on us) - they search big areas for food and getting it naturally ensures that they 1. get the correct and healthy food and 2. they retain their natural behaviours - rather than getting all their food in one hit and then becoming destructive, they spend their day foraging naturally. It is the best thing for the birds themselves that they are able to search for their nectar naturally.
Given that you enjoy feeding your bird I would suggest that you cut down on the frequency with which you feed them. So instead of every day, or multiple times per day - feed them every 3rd day for a while and then only once a week (and even less frequently after that). Think about replacing one or two of your current plants with something that will provide nectar like a bottlebrush. Also ensure that your feeding station is kept impeccibly clean. There is more information under 'Bird-friendly spaces' in our 'Guidelines for Enhancing Urban Bird Habitat'
Cheers :)
Holly
Well I have now 'inherited' about 10 lorikeets but not by feeding them. I once had a china doll pot plant inside and many years ago I got sick of it so I stuck it in the ground outside (little did I know it would turn into a tree). After 20 years of being in the ground, this year was the first year it actually flowered and now has humongous seed pods hanging from it's branches. The rainbow lorikeets sit in the tree all day cracking these seed pods and making a hell of a mess. There are seeds flying everywhere, even into my neighbours yard (although he probably hasn't even noticed until all these little trees start growing lol). I suspect I'm going to have hundreds of new trees in my yard that will have to be pulled out of the ground. The lorikeets are noisy but I must admit I do like having them there. I would suggest planting some native tree if you could, to attract the lorries, even though they might take awhile to grow, it will be rewarding in the end. May try planting a bottle brush?? The Lorries here seem to like the flowers on the bottle brush. Best of luck :)
Just to give you an idea of the size of these seed pods.
This was taken yesterday. The tree is about 15 foot tall. Who would have thought a harmless little indoor pot plant could turn into such a monster!!!
Thanks very much for your information Kimbolina. I have stopped feeding them because it was getting quite out of hand, and did also look up the suggested sites in the earlier part of the thread. We do have bottle brush trees around the street, neighbourhood and some just outside over the fence, in the council section. They still hang around and especially the two that began coming - they even sit on our kitchen window sill. We really love them. I am happy that I have stopped feeding them, because I want them to be healthy and not die because of my 'kindness' to them.
Hi lorilee, I suppose you knew, I would answer to your post? After all the controversy this topic caused, I'm very happy about the outcome!!! I hope, you will enjoy many different birds around your garden in the future. Lorilee, you made an old bird's day!( nice to hear from you again )
M-L
Hello Araminta, I'm glad that you're happy with my decision.
I knew you would be. I do certainly also believe that these beautiful birds, amongst many others should be given their freedom and not be caged up.....then again, that would be another discussion and would probably make many people unhappy!
lorilee, I'm with YOU on the "quest for freedom"
M-L
Lorilee, when I see trees like that...full of Lorikeets I always like to think of them as the Xmas tree you have all year round :')
Sunshine Coast Queensland
whah lorilee.. you actually got a tonne of lorikeets, though now you don't want them. i tried to get keets coming in, but they didn't seem to care about the harmony dry stuff i put out. curious, what did you feed them?
maybe you can still have them around, but just have a perfectly safe clean setup. that's something i would research. and just 'supplement' the feeding. i've seen people have pigeon trays - only one pigeon eats at a time.
anyway, i ended up going for crested pigeons, then to ravens and spotted doves. the spotted doves sure come, but i want to hand feed them. i've also recently got a cool raven pair (i feed it dog food).it's a shame they are scorned at. maybe it's the sound of their voice. they are really an amazingly intelligent and bold bird, and hence perfect for friendship purposes. in the US people have them as pets. i just started with them. they are so smart he could easily sense that i had food to 'flick' to him through my window.
i've also got an ACME duck whistle. haha. the goal is to call them in from far away when i hear they are in the area, and to also do it during feeding time.
i've come to realize, i have a need for a special type of animal experience, rather than a house pet. for some time i've liked observing animals, and interacted with them too on various occasions. it has all lead to this.
regards the 'noah' thing, there are interesting artifacts from the past. google the 'tale of gilgamesh' - a story remarkably similar to the biblical one, fictionalized , coming from both babolonian/assyrian empires (..hence also from the one before, can't remember). it's quite interesting because it is the same sort of story which the Jews handed down in the book.