• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Crimson Rosella Parrots

:lol: :lol: awwwwwwwwwwwh he is absolutely beautiful :love::love: naughty birdie though, reminds me of sandy- shes like that to jasmine if she gets too close at times! (not when eating...just everything other than that haha)xxx
 
:love::love: Gorgeous, thanks for sharing.
We get the Eastern Rosella here which seem to be smaller & much flightier.
Also just checked out your 'Clancy Eating' clip - amazing!
Am bonding at the mo - so keep the diversions coming!
 
What stunning birds!! Absolutely beautiful.

I took the opportunity to watch several of your clips. I confess that Fionn brought a tear to my eye. What a beautiful tribute.

Please can you tell what sort of animals (reptiles) Clancy & Declan are?

If I were to visit Australia I don't think I'd ever get indoors- I'd be out there marvelling at the wild life.
 
What stunning birds!! Absolutely beautiful.

I took the opportunity to watch several of your clips. I confess that Fionn brought a tear to my eye. What a beautiful tribute.

Please can you tell what sort of animals (reptiles) Clancy & Declan are?

If I were to visit Australia I don't think I'd ever get indoors- I'd be out there marvelling at the wild life.

That video was taken last week and I am pleased to report they were here today...and sharing!:)

Little Fionn was a very special little bunny to us and still missed very much.:love:

Clancy and Declan are highland blotched bluetongue skinks (tiliqua nigrolutea) and we have another female called Oola. Two years ago I caught a snake that had killed 2 of Clancy's siblings, then 3 weeks later we found her hiding. She was quite emaciated and terribly frightened at the time, was 30cms long and only 200gms. I weighed and measured her last week at 653gms and 46cms long. All three are very gentle natured and although they can inflict a powerful non-venomous bite they have never bitten us.

We live inside a National Park which is a complete wildlife sanctuary. The animals seem to know their protected status so we get a lot of visitors; although I prefer the snakes not to be too sociable.:lol:
 
Thank you for your reply Lobo. I looked up skinks; what fascinating creatures. Clancy has done so well in your care. Thank goodness you found her.

I'm so thankful that Australians take wild life conservation seriously, because its so unique; but even when it's not unique, our lives are so much the poorer without our wild animal & plant friends. They ask for so little.

I have some large stones & broken slabs behind my garden shed - home to newts,& slow worms. Neither slow (very fast when disturbed) nor a worm, they are a legless lizard. May I share one with you? This is a female. they are also viviparous.

DSCF4298.jpg
 
We don't have slow worms here but she is a very impressive little reptile. There is a legless lizard in Australia but I have not seen them in the wild. My general rule of thumb is if they don't have legs, treat with a deal of caution. Viviparous reptiles are fascinating the way they just have the babies and leave them to their own devices, no nursing at all. When we had some born in our yard last March they were so young when we found them that one still had remnants of placenta on it.

The bluetongues are terrific to have if you grow vegetables (especially brassicas) as they clean up the snails, shells and all. Sadly, many people use snail pellets which kill the bluetongues if they eat snails that have eaten the pellets. Ringtail possums also are fatally attracted to the pellets. People can be so precious about their vegetable gardens.:roll:

Eastern Rosellas don't inhabit where we are, probably due to altitude and cold. We are 1,000 meters above sea level and many species of native fauna and flora seem to change at around 700 meters.
 
We don't have slow worms here but she is a very impressive little reptile. There is a legless lizard in Australia but I have not seen them in the wild. My general rule of thumb is if they don't have legs, treat with a deal of caution. Viviparous reptiles are fascinating the way they just have the babies and leave them to their own devices, no nursing at all. When we had some born in our yard last March they were so young when we found them that one still had remnants of placenta on it.

The bluetongues are terrific to have if you grow vegetables (especially brassicas) as they clean up the snails, shells and all. Sadly, many people use snail pellets which kill the bluetongues if they eat snails that have eaten the pellets. Ringtail possums also are fatally attracted to the pellets. People can be so precious about their vegetable gardens.:roll:

Eastern Rosellas don't inhabit where we are, probably due to altitude and cold. We are 1,000 meters above sea level and many species of native fauna and flora seem to change at around 700 meters.

I'm so sad to hear of the use of slug pellets. It's the norm here too, & totally unnecessary. Although the whole neighbourhood's population tend to converge on my garden as the only person to grow "old fashioned" cottage garden plants, I've never needed to use pellets. Copper strips protect the most susceptable seedlings. I admit to going out on a damp night & decapitating large numbers, but by morning the Hedgehogs have had a feast!

I'm also fascinated by the change in native flora & fauna at about 700 meters.
Are there any marked geological changes, which would affect plant life at about that level? I'm becoming intensely aware that the preservation of wild life depends on the preservation of native plants.
 
I think the 700 meters mark signals a change from temperate to a gradual change to alpine. It is usually considered as the snowline although snow here almost never falls below 800 meters. The flora alters from more slender to stockier hardy heath, probably to withstand the stronger winds at the higher altitude. The eucalypts growing in wind exposed areas are much shorter than those in valleys. The fauna seems to have a preference for certain vegetation and locate where it is plentiful.

The highland blotched bluetongues (or as we call them, blotchies) are not found below 700 meters except in Tasmania where they are the only form of the species. Even in my lifetime the parrot population has evolved. The predominant species are now the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and the Galah, mostly grasslands parrots. The Crimson Rosellas are still quite prolific but the King parrots are becoming rarer and a personal favourite of mine the Gang Gang is now listed as endangered.

A YouTube video of Gang Gangs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0rnBjyaOVw

P.S. I use used coffee grounds to keep the snails away. Most coffee shops willingly give them away and being organic can be dug in as compost after they lose their effectiveness.
 
Back
Top