Safety in Numbers

Red rumped parrots are common in these parts and groups of them are often seen on the back lawn feeding on something…I’m not quite sure what, as they get their beaks down amongst the roots and tug until they find what they want. It doesn’t always seem to be seeds they are interested in.

It took a certain amount of stealth to achieve this photo as they are mercurial birds, given to sudden dashes at the slightest hint of trouble: i.e. a large biped with camera in hand, but I was charmed by an assemblage in the silver birch tree. The photo below, taken earlier in the year during winter (and through the blinds), shows a congregation on the back lawn.

37 Comments Add yours

  1. Oh my, how wonderful! Fine wildlife photography.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Gill. They do look gorgeous against that blue sky.

  2. What lovely photos. We don’t see that here!

    1. Jane says:

      I’m happy to share them with you, Granny!

  3. Margaret Campbell says:

    Such pretty birds, especially when they are in flight as you can see the red rump!

    1. Jane says:

      Yes, they are lovely.

  4. Anonymous says:

    The very idea of a garden full of parrots is shocking! The tree shot is really gorgeous. I lived in California most of my life before coming to France, and we now have flocks of parrots in southern CA that have come up from Mexico. I have to say, they are loud and messy…..
    bonnie in provence

    1. Jane says:

      Hi Bonnie, thanks for your comment. It’s nice to be able to share photos of beautiful birds. Re your comment showing up as anonymous, this has happened quite a few times recently but I don’t know the reason. Probably something wrong at my end. I’ll have to contact WordPress and see if I can find out why.

  5. shoreacres says:

    These remind me of our flocks of monk parakeets. They come and go, although I’m not sure it’s a seasonal migration. They love to rest in the palm trees, but they’ve also discovered that the really large electric transmission lines are perfect places to build their large, communal nests. The power companies clear out the nests from time to time, but once egg laying has commenced, they allow the birds to remain until the babies are fledged. It’s the best of human/bird accomodation!

    1. Jane says:

      That’s great! I like to think of the power companies making exceptions for birds. Our red rumped parrots are quite quiet (for parrots), but in Sydney the rainbow lorikeets are extremely vociferous, and some trees are overloaded with them, especially in the evening. The noise is tremendous.

  6. They are such pretty birds, which I have never seen before. The photo of them in the tree is great!

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks H&B. I’m sure you have some gorgeous birds up your wary too. We are very lucky to have such wonderful birds in Australia.

  7. Those birds are so exotic to us. The closest I’ve seen a parrot in the wild was an escaped parakeet that spent a summer at our bird feeders.

    1. Jane says:

      Yes, they are wonderful birds. We’re fortunate to have them, especially as we are in a town, albeit not right in the centre. We get a lot of enjoyment from watching them.

  8. Bonnie Groves Poppe says:

    my response came through as being anonymous, it should not have. I am a subscriber and have commented in the past.
    bonnie

  9. Lovely visitors, Jane. They are gliwing in the sunlight on the tree and then just disappear into the background of winter grass. I suspect they like new grass shoots.

    1. Jane says:

      I think you are right about the grass shoots, Tracy. You probably get the red rumps down your way, too.

      1. They are very plentiful here at the moment, Jane. I’ve seen the parrots chowing down on large section of newly sown grass seed. Onion weed also seems to be a favourite.

  10. Kris P says:

    They’re beautiful birds, Jane. I only occasionally see large flocks of birds foraging together like that and I can’t think of any as colorful as your parrots. There are wild parrots here but they’re the progeny of escaped pets and it’s the noise they make rather than any clear sighting that announces their presence.

    1. Jane says:

      We certainly have some noisy birds here, Kris, but the red rumps are fairly quiet. They are delightful visitors to the garden.

  11. Cathy says:

    What a lovely sight! Such colourful birds would brighten up our winters too. Do they stay with you all year round?

    1. Jane says:

      We don’t see them so often in the summer when there is plenty of seed to be foraged for. During the drought of 2019, we saw a lot of birds all year as they were very hungry.

  12. pommepal says:

    Lucky you having so many congregating, well caught

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you PP. I wished I could get closer, but it’s almost impossible.

  13. It must give you great joy to sit and watch them in your garden. Aren’t they pretty. We get scaly breasted parrots sometimes.

    1. Jane says:

      It does give us a lot of pleasure. We’re very lucky with the variety of birds we see. I don’t think I’ve seen scaly breasted parrots, though….I think we might be too far from the coast perhaps? I looked at a distribution map and the band seems to narrow as it goes south.

      1. They love our bottlebrush trees.

  14. Gerrie Mackey says:

    I love your Red-rumped Parrots, they look quite picturesque all resting in the branches like that, and you would think they were socially distancing!
    We do get Red-rumped Parrots in the playing fields near us but I have never been able to get a reasonable photo of them…they are so flighty. The same goes for the Eastern Rosella, so pretty, but elusive.

  15. lisinmayenne says:

    My goodness, they are so beautiful. What a wonderful sight – and great photography!

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Lis.

  16. Great pictures, what a wonderful wildlife visit!

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks, Cathy, we do appreciate their visits.

  17. paolsoren says:

    Well Jane, depending on what mixture is in your lawn plantings I would reckon that there are some small bulbs or corms that they are after. I have rosellas in Ballarat that are also very clever at posing for a great shot and then disappearing as I push the half pressure on my camera button.

    1. Jane says:

      We have ordinary old kikuyu lawn (horrible stuff) and it’s very brown in the winter. There was a suggestion that the birds might be digging down to find a few green bits. Whatever it is, they are very busy getting it.

      1. paolsoren says:

        That makes sense. Parrots LOVE kikuyu. They are looking for the rhizomes underground.

  18. So glad how so many colourful birds now visit my garden as a result of creating trees to perch on and bushes to hide in. Great shot of the birds, Jane.

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks, Gerard, the birds are certainly appreciating the trees we’ve planted….25 in the back garden!

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