Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'

             Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'

This is said to be a smaller growing cultivar of the species which I have written about before as being a bit of a garden thug spreading far and wide with a thick tuberous root system.

I am keeping it in a large pot where it can be more easily managed. That said it would make a great addition to a garden position in the light shade of trees where shrubs may be difficult to establish as it is not fussed as to soil and water requirements. 

  

 

Salvia 'Amistad', The Friendship Sage

                                  Salvia 'Amistad'

This is a very dark purple Salvia which I planted last year in front of a giant orange sun loving Bromeliad Aechmea blanchetiana. I am hoping for a good colour contrast when 'Amistad reaches the 2 metres it is said to. So far it is a well behaved small shrub with bright green foliage and masses of flowers. No damage to the branches from nectar feeding birds either.

The story goes that this plant was found in a market in Argentina and released to the garden scene in Australia in 2013. Plant Breeders Rights apply to this plant.

Salvia 'Black Knight'

     Salvia 'Black Knight' above Salvia leucantha

This Salvia is thought to be a hybrid of S. guaranitica x S. gesneriiflora and has been on the garden scene for a number of years.

It forms a scruffy shrub to just under two metres high with flowers so dark you have to be up close to really notice them. From a distance they appear as a dark smudge above pale green foliage. That said it is a hardy shrub which requires no special attention to do well. Perhaps with some judicious pruning in spring a well shaped shrub could be achieved.

The birds love it !

Salvia greggii 'Crimson and Black'

               Salvia greggii 'Crimson and Black'

The greggii salvias grow from a central stem with branches topped with flowers emerging from quite low down. Herein lies a problem, as some of the bigger nectar feeding birds such as Wattle birds are liable to snap off the somewhat brittle stems during their quest for food. 

Several weeks ago I sheared off all the flowers from this batch to stop the bird damage but to no avail as the flowers reappeared in no time.

This crimson and black flowered variety is quite a striking colour combination and really stands out in a garden. The shrub grows to about 60cm and is hardy over a range of conditions and climates.

 

Grey Butcherbird

Grey Butcherbird

(photo by Brett Donald from Wikipedia)

'Boss Cocky' is an Australian colloquialism referring to a person eminent among nonentities; someone enjoying the exercise of petty authority, usually with some element of assertiveness implied and could be used to describe the behaviour of this bird.

Nearly all the usual birds of the garden have made themselves scarce since the arrival of this fellow. No more wrens or honeyeaters and even the big Kurrawongs who normally swoop and call all through winter have been running scared.

He likes to perch as high up a tree as possible before singing his heart out. A very melodious song he proudly sings while he surveys the territory. I know he is after a few tidbits from me as he often lands quite close, a metre or so away and gives me an eyeful. Not afraid, as I seem to be in his territory. How much longer he will stick around is hard to tell but I don't mind if he makes a meal of some of those pesky Myna birds in the meantime.

The beat of black wings

At the nursery a crow uses both the top of a tall poplar tree and a Norfolk Island pine tree to survey its territory. Occasionally it will fly off to an equally tall distant Gum tree with a couple of Magpies in hot pursuit but it is never deterred by their efforts of intimidation. The reason it has taken up residence in the neighbourhood seems to be that it has formed a special bond with a local black tom cat. Edgar Alan Poe could not have come up with a better companion. The crow will land on a fence while the cat rolls around on the ground in front of it. Then they take it in turns to jump about and tease each other. If only I could get close enough to record the action on film or video. Did they form a bond over a shared food bowl as crows are known to be intelligent enough to find something tasty and remember the place where it may appear again. There is an interesting article about the ability they have to remember faces and details on the Birds in Backyards website (see link below) Last year on a bushwalk I came across a so called Parliament of crows where a large number of them gather together to hold a "meeting" to caw a lot about what is going on. Fascinating to know what that is all about.

A couple of well known song birds have had their crow moments in the past, namely Joni Mitchell and Madonna.

Joni Mitchell as crow on Hejira (1976)

photograph by Norman Seaf and Joel Bernstein

Madonna from music video Frozen

from  Ray of Light (1998)

Warner Brothers Records and Maverick Records 

Welcome to Birds in Backyards | BIRDS in BACKYARDS

Blackbird, Turdus mirula

Blackbird  
Turdus mirula

This spring I have heard and seen blackbirds in the garden for the first time. Their semi look a like cousins the starlings, who have a somewhat greasy sheen to their feathers, appear in large numbers at dusk, settle on the lawn for feeding before retiring with much wheezy chatter to a large dense conifer to roost for the night. The blackbirds however are much more charming and discreet.  I know they were introduced into Australia in the 1850's, firstly in Melbourne and then later in Sydney, but they are not very common here.The male bird I see looks very happy with himself and is almost rotund in shape, so is obviously finding lots to eat. I do remember them from the days when I lived in Melbourne and how they were cursed for digging up freshly planted seedlings or for throwing mulch over newly swept paths in their search for earthworms. Apparently they have a liking for soft fruits as well which makes them cursed even more. I can forgive them all these bad habits as they have the sweetest song both at dawn and in the early twilight. Whether a pair sets up home here remains to be seen but I wouldn't mind if they do.

Chestnut-breasted Finch

Chestnut-breasted Finch or Barleybird 
Lonchura castaneothorax

Today was one on those drizzly cool days after a night of some rain. It was a perfect opportunity to pull out summer weeds while the soil was friable and easy to work. While I was working, a pair of these Finches arrived to eat grass seed nearby. It was my first sighting of this bird, well a pair actually, but I have since read that it is fairly common on the east coast of Australia. They are quite striking in appearance but I would dispute the colour description as they are more caramel coloured than chestnut.
Chestnut-breasted_Mannikin94.ogg

Wild bird seed

Red-browed Finch
Photo:S G Lane Collection
Australian Museum

Flocks of red-browed finches have been hard at work lately making the most of the summer weedy grasses which have been producing lots of ripe seed. I often complain about weeds in the garden because they look untidy and then remember that they provide food for a diverse range of animals, birds and insects.

A patch of barnyard grass (Echinochloa sp), summer grass (Digitaria sp) and Millet (Setaria italica)

Indian Myna Bird eradication

Indian Myna Bird

A blogger from Melbourne recently lamented the declining native bird population in her garden and laid blame partly on the destructive and pesky Myna birds whose population has swelled in recent years. I couldn't agree with her more though there are plenty of active native birds here such as the huge flocks of rainbow parrots which go screaming overhead on a regular basis or fall about drunk after too much nectar from the Queensland Umbrella trees which are currently in flower.
 Myna birds tend to avoid gardens where there is not much lawn or ones with densely planted shrubs. They like to dodge the traffic on the road or hop about on suburban roofs or gutters. Their call is always so harsh and nasty and they are certainly not afraid of anything or anyone.The local paper here has started to promote ways of getting rid this pest. The men's social group 'Men's Shed' has started making wooden trap boxes for residents who want to capture the birds and dispose of them humanely..

2 Rainforest Pioneer trees

Omalanthus populifolius 
 Native Poplar

Polyscias murrayi 
 Pencil Cedar

These two trees make an appearance from Gippsland in Victoria to Northern Queensland. They have evolved to be the first on the scene to fill a gap whenever a tree falls in the rainforest , land is disturbed bordering thick forest or a road verge is cleared of excess vegetation. The native poplar, which is also called bleeding heart is so successful in colonisation that it often appears in a variety of habitats and even makes an appearance in shady city gardens far from where you would expect to see it. It is a quick growing small tree, rarely growing more than 4 metres tall with a single trunk and bushy crown. It is the heart shaped red/orange leaves which appear throughout the year which gives it the bleeding heart common name and makes it quite distinctive when seen against the dark green of surrounding trees. The insignificant tassel like flowers followed by glaucous 10mm fruit are very attractive to birds which carry the ingested seeds and deposit them far and wide. Newly established trees are able to eek out a living in quite dry and inhospitable places though their leaves are often much smaller than those growing in better sites.
The Pencil Cedar is a more elegant tree with a beautiful silhouette when seen against the sky above surrounding vegetation. It is clever in establishing itself by means of a slender trunk to over 6 metres before deciding to branch. It grows a further 6 metres with an umbrella shaped crown of metre long pinnate leaves consisting of 30 opposite leaflets and one terminal leaflet. At this time of year it produces greenish yellow flowers on large branched panicles followed by small red fruit which are also attractive to birds.

The Catbird likes to eat the fruit of these trees.

Australian King Parrot

Australian King Parrot

Not to be confused with the crimson rosella, the king parrot is scarlet rather than crimson with a red bill, and dark forest green wings, royal blue rump and black tail. As well, it is not always the farmers' friend, as the king parrot is known to raid crops and home garden fruit trees and vegetable gardens to eat anything from tomatoes, apples, pears, grapes and even freshly dug potatoes. George Caley, Sir Joseph Bank's botanical collector in the years 1800-10, reported that near Parramatta: 'When the Indian corn was ripe the king parrot may be seen in large flocks clinging to the stalks and occasioning much mischief.'

The Christmas Beetle, Anoplognathus pallidicollis

Christmas Beetle
Anoplognathus pallidicollis

At dusk, the Christmas beetle can be found dive bombing outdoor lights and sometimes making it indoors where it performs similar acrobatics around the room.They are easily recognized by their bright metallic gold exterior and when captured make interesting specimens to show children. These beetles are members of the scarab beetle family and are probably more familiar in their larvae stage as curl grubs or lawn grubs. As they are just below the soil surface feeding on roots at this stage of their lives ,they are favourite food of Magpies which you often see intently gazing at a patch of lawn before making stabbing motions at the ground and finding a prize grub. The adult beetles feed on Eucalyptus species and when present in large numbers can completely defoliate small trees and do considerable damage. You can usually tell the presence of the grubs in a lawn by the frantic circling of their natural predator ,the parasitic wasp, which burrows down into the soil to find them. These wasps are brilliantly metallic red coloured and are members of the Family Thynnidae and are beneficial insects in the garden and do no harm to humans or plants.
I prefer the organic approach to lawn care and don't spray lawns to remove the curl grub larvae.I enjoy their appearance at this time of year as adult beetles and their evening antics outdoors.

An Ibis

An Ibis waiting for a meal in Japanese Garden
Mt Cootha Botanic Garden ,Brisbane, Queensland

There has been a population explosion of Ibis in the past decades and they are now very common in parks and gardens across the country.

Kangaroo Paws

Wind resistant Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthus cultivars)

After three days of gale force winds with gusts in excess of 100km an hour ,there is not much left of the Spring blossom trees.
 Kangaroo Paws are one of the great plants which have adapted well to our harsh climate and put on a great show regardless of the weather.There is a whole range of interesting varieties available in a range of colours. They require a bit of maintenance such as removal of spent flowers and thinning out a clump if they become congested. A side dressing of organic fertilizer after flowering keeps them happy. Birds love the flowers as well.

Banksia 'Roller Coaster'

Banksia integrifolia 'Roller Coaster'

This is one of the prostrate ground cover forms of the tree Banksia integrifolia which probably came from a windy sea cliff where it had adapted to hug the ground as a means of survival. It needs a large space in a garden and is perfect for growing over embankments or rock walls. If given too much shade or multi planted, the growth may revert to a more upright form. The way to go is to plant one and give it lots of room to follow the contours of the land . The foliage is dense and good at suppressing weeds and flowers are produced for much of the year making it an ideal bird attracting shrub.

Birds love Aloes

Aloes are at their peak flowering time and are much loved by rainbow lorikeets.

Black Coral Pea, Kennedia nigricans

Kennedia nigricans
 Black Coral Pea

Endemic to the coastal districts of South Western Australia between Cape Riche and Hopetoun, this climber is a rampant quick growing plant which flowers from June to November.The unusual flowers are 30mm long and are black with a prominent yellow blotch. Because of their dark colour they remain somewhat hidden amongst the large 3 lobed leaves, but still manage to attract lots of nectar feeding birds.It is an ideal climber to use as a fence cover or even as a ground cover in semi-shaded sites or under Eucalyptus trees.It will tolerate light to moderate frosts.
2017 update: I occasionally have plants available for sale.

Banksia spinulosa

Banksia spinulosa 

This is a variable species of Banksia and historically it is one of the earliest Australian plants to be described. After the establishment of the new settlement at Port Jackson, just north of Botany Bay in 1788, the surgeon John White found this Banksia growing. It was named by English botanist James Smith in 1793. In that year a Spanish exploring expedition under Alessandro Malaspina visited Port Jackson. Luis Nee, a naturalist aboard, made an extensive plant collection and it was from this that Antonio Cavanilles named several new Banksias in 1800.

Banksia spinulosa is found on both coastal sands and mountain clay loams .It usually grows as a large open shrub to 3 metres  but many coastal forms have adapted to salt laden winds and therefore may be compact and low growing . Flowering time is usually April to July. The colour of the flower can vary from honey, to gold, amber to burnt orange with variation in colour of the flower part known as the 'styles' to yellow ,red or black. It will tolerate frost down to minus 8C. All Banksia species attract nectar feeding birds and are decorative and hardy garden plants.

The Lyrebird

Apollo holding a Lyre

(God of Music, Poetry and Oracles)

2AD Roman Statue

The Lyrebird

John Gould (1804-1881)

British Museum 1840-48

The Superb Lyrebird

Menura novaehollandiae

Winter is the time when the male Lyrebird turns into the 'dancing queen' of the local bushland. I have yet to see one doing his version of shake-a-tail-feather up close but I did see two today beside the Jamberoo Mountain road. What an extraordinary bird , as it not only performs a dance but includes mimicry in its song repertoire The sound of a baby crying or a chainsaw in action could be included in its vocal antics and interwoven with its magnificent mellow song.