Although we live in an inner city area, we share our garden with a variety of wildlife, particularly many birds. Growing Australian plants certainly helps to attract native birds and recently we observed a noisy miner building a nest in a low overhanging branch of the eucalyptus ficifolia tree in our backyard. This is the same tree that next month will be covered in red blossoms and will attract the rainbow lorikeets. The female miner builds the nest and as they collect cobweb to line it I decided to help her out with a more luxious fibre. I attached some teased washed fleece to the bark of a nearby tree and the next day it had all disappeared. Checking the nest I could just see the fleece now forming a cosy lining to the nest.
As the branch is very close to the backdoor, we are now under attack everytime we step outside, as the nest and the two chicks are fiercely defended by the mother miner and several soldiers of her extended family. Trying to hang anything on the clothesline is a matter of running the gauntlet with swoops and clicking beaks diving from above. They are very feisty little birds. Thank goodness our resident magpie pair have their nest in a tree in the street. Here are some of the other visitors to our garden.
A few years ago we also had a visit from a diamond python, but that's another story...
2 comments:
WM had to remove a Noisy Mynah nest from DD's roof/guttering last week - they weren't at all happy!
Atman - This was just a spelling error as I am very aware of the difference between Indian Mynahs and Noisy Miners, and cultivate an inner city environment for native birds. Have just planted three Grevilleas today for the Noisy Miners as like all honeyeaters, they delight in feeding on the blossoms.
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