Blog - Vista del Sol Diary
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Viewing entries tagged with 'Birds'
Birds at Vista del Sol over Summer 2011/12
The planting of food trees has been good for the local bird life - we had 4 baby tuis bred this year - the nest was in the pine trees behind the Spa and Mum Tui brought them into the garden for several weeks when our nectar trees were in flower over christmas - particularly the Banksia and Pohutakawa. Most of the birds disappear for 8 weeks in late summer - Feb/March (and then you will see more bellbirds that are normally chased away by the Tuis) - but they call though to check out the state of plants almost daily. I saw a young Tui hopping around on the ground checking out the flowers, and one perched on the gladioli sipping nectar.
Bird Update
With the Banksias going into flower, now followed by the protia, red hot pokers, camelia, and finally the Kowhai - all the birds are back, grey warbler in are in tree outside my window, you can usually here them in full song from somewhere close by, the Tui are all round and usually singing from Dawn til dusk, - I saw one in the Kowhai today - it is a minature and now in flower - only a metre high but it did not stop the tui climbing all over it to sip the nectar. The Bell birds are about, a flock of pukeko was in Satins paddock right up at the house - including a little one, hawks are close by the house - one has a gliding line that runs about 15 mitres away from my window, fantails are in constant motion, the Eastern Rosellas are roosting probably in the big pines - they spend time in the paddocks which still have seed heads on the grass, a morepork has moved back in we hear it calling at night.
Welcome Swallows back from their Migration
The Welcome Swallows have all turned up from their annual migration, having left in June, and are building nests, they entertain with their aerial acrobatics in their continual hunt for insects on the wing.
Bell Bird in Cherry Blossom
Bell Birds have been in the garden for the last couple of weeks, they are very elusive and have a very distinctive call. This one was in the Cherry Blossom sipping at the nectar for several days
Kereru - New Zealand Wood Pigeon
Two Kereru, the New Zealand Wood Pigeon, fly in daily to eat the growing flower buds on the Virgilia Tree - they turn up prior to spring for a feed and then after christmas when the flowers are setting into to seed pods - they share the tree then with half a dozen Rosella Parakeets who also visit and make a real mess of the blossom. The Kereru are noisy fliers and are quite a big bird.
Morepork - New Zealand Owl - Nightly Visitor
At dusk a Morepork -the New Zealand Owl - flies into the garden - he (it) always flies to the Vigilia Tree - pictured above - for a look around before going hunting - we hear him at night calling occasionally but this is the first time we have seen him regularly
