A month ago I began putting fruit and a waxeye cake out for a pair. The flock has now grown to over a dozen. I did not realise how territorial they were! The original pair have gotten quite plump, probably fatter than they should be. My hubby calls the biggest one a "flying stone" . which he indeed does look like! So now they only get fruit. I can't find any information on how big each pairs' territory is, but this pair has paid claim of up to 5 meters . I have 5 nails banged along into the top of a 6" foot high fence, spaced out along the 5 metres. It can get stressful watching the originals seeing off the "intruders".
lythande1,
Aug 10, 3:44pm
Why? Aussie imports, even if it was 18something. And they're pests in vineyards and orchards.
wheelz,
Aug 10, 3:53pm
I love all birds. there's room for us all
kateley,
Aug 10, 5:45pm
I like to feed the sparrows, too. Not their fault they are not natives and some see them as pests.
lakeview3,
Aug 10, 5:50pm
I put out a pear or an apple for mine. Plus they are taking bread too at the moment.
wheelz,
Aug 10, 6:55pm
Forest and Bird say. "Never put out honey or honey/water for birds. Birds love it, so do bees. so this practice can spread bee diseases."
starseeker,
Aug 10, 7:02pm
Really good to know, thank you. Does that apply to sugar water too?
oh_hunnihunni,
Aug 10, 7:48pm
They do a great job cleaning up insects on my peach tree.
quillta1,
Aug 10, 8:08pm
I buy budget peanut butter and spread it on toilet rolls then roll them in bird seed. Then hang them in a feeder i have made so the food stays dry. I also feed the birds energy cakes. I also slice oranges, roll them in wild bird seed and hang them around the place. I have been planting to suit birds.
alston,
Aug 13, 3:30pm
I found myself buying oranges for the wax eyes ,today! They are such fun birds to have amongst the finches , sparrows and starlings. They do make me feel appreciated when I open the doors to feed them all.
pasadena1,
Aug 13, 7:25pm
I had a dozen or more waxeyes drinking pollen water from by bird feeder for several weeks, but they all seemed to have suddenly disappeared.
erra,
Aug 13, 9:06pm
I feed the birds cooked white rice twice a day with a little bread and a cup of birdseed,plus a diced apple for the Blackbirds.The Tuis get sugar water and I use an apple corer to put holes in oranges and apples, cut them in half and place them on broken tree branches.Waxeyes love the fruit and sugar water and the Tuis squabble with Rosellas and Starlings over the fruit. I was visited by 5 Californian Quails this morning looking for bread and seed and 1 hungry Magpie.
lakeview3,
Aug 13, 9:24pm
we have rosella across the road but they don’t come in here, what can I do to make it attractive for them? Should I hang fruit from a tree to lure then in? Also we get kereru but I don’t have a kowhai for them to come here. They LOOOOVE kowhai at the moment! Saw 2 big beautiful ones yesterday on a tree up the road a bit.
Loving my wee wax eyes and green finches at the moment.
erra,
Aug 13, 9:31pm
The Rosellas just love the apples I put out. Once they know they are there they will come regularly, as there is not much for them to eat at the moment.I do have some wood pidgeons and as my Kowhai are not flowering they land in the Lucerne trees and eat the flowers.
lakeview3,
Aug 13, 9:37pm
ok cool I might try and string an apple up tomorrow and hope they see it. They are so close, literally 15 -20 metres away. Thanks!
beebb3,
Aug 14, 7:28pm
I hang some good ole dripping in a wee mesh bag, like an ole garlic bag, and have a long S shape piece of wire I thread through the top of the gathered mesh bag, and the other S hooks onto a wee branch, lost count of how many pottles of dripping I have bought this season, usually buy Pams, but any is great, they love it, and I feed them apples. Darling busy wee birds, great to watch.
alston,
Aug 14, 9:55pm
Silly question, do you peel the apples?
erra,
Aug 14, 10:10pm
No, I core them with an apple corer, then cut them across the middle and slide them on branches in a tree through the holes made by the apple corer. I do the same with oranges.Both waxeyes and Tuis love them. Rosellas eat the flesh and drop small bits of the skin which the blackbirds eat.
lakeview3,
Aug 14, 10:11pm
I didn’t get around to hanging the apple today but son said the rosellas were in my garden out the back this morning, I just need to get them out the front where I can sit and watch in the sun. Plus the tree they were in out the back was my apple tree and I won’t be wanting them there when it’s got apples on it!
erra,
Aug 14, 10:16pm
Ha ha, you will have them in your apple tree when it fruits.The birds have a hayday in my orchard during summer.
lakeview3,
Aug 14, 10:18pm
to be fair there is probably enough for them, last year I couldn’t keep up with the amount of fruit I got! Anyway they are close. I just need to tempt them closer!
erra,
Aug 14, 10:37pm
As there is very little for them to eat at the moment then I am sure they will spot the apples you put out.They are quite flighty birds and if I go outside they fly away but I can watch them out the window.
Last summer, I still had grapefruit on my tree, so would cut 1 in half and place on nails on my fence and plum tree.They normally only lasted a day and were stripped to the skin.
oh_hunnihunni,
Aug 16, 9:21am
Friends in Birkenhead have plum trees that get a visit from the woodpigeons when they are in bloom. I would love to plant a few just to get that blessing, watching them forage through the puriri tree on the other side of the park requires binoculars. The rosella families though are very in our faces here, as are the tuis, no long distance spying required to watch those at play.
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