Parrots

Granny Smith · **Posted:** Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:46 am

The worst pests in my garden are birds - twenty-eights mainly. They vandalise my fruit trees - not to eat, just for fun. I have two large olives that are laden with fruit each year but I've never picked a ripe fruit because the 28s pick them off.

Then there are the little green birds (white-eyes?) that get at the tomatoes and corn. This year I've netted them with some success, but can't get rid of those pesky parrots.

Any suggestions?

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:55 pm

A couple of suggestions for bird problems other than netting them include

Hanging similar looking artificial fruit made from plaster of paris, when the birds come in and have a peck they are put off by the taste.

Mix eggs with water and water based paint, leave it sit for a few days to go off, spray over fruit trees. The smell deters the birds for longer than we can smell it. When you can no longer see the paint, time to reapply. I also understand that dead animal smells might repel them so perhaps in conjunction with blood and bone or dynamic lifter.

A mean looking scarecrow that moves in the breeze so they think someone is there watching them

Failing that, just get the camera and document the process.

earthbound · **Posted:** Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:58 pm

Oh yeah Silver eyes. They are terrible things, I have been standing in the orchard picking fruit and the silver eyes are flying around you, not the slightest bit bothered by the fact that you're there.

Attachment:

silver eye.jpg [ 191.15 KiB | Viewed 20033 times ]

Granny Smith · **Posted:** Sun Jan 17, 2010 7:40 pm

Thanks guys. I found three of them INSIDE the netting on my tomatoes today, dammit. Can't see where they possibly could get in.

Great photo, EB. Did you take it?

earthbound · **Posted:** Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:10 pm

Na, I just found it online...... Luckily I haven't seen any silver eyes around my place in a while.

Granny Smith · **Posted:** Mon Jan 18, 2010 6:15 pm

What! Don't they go for your tomatoes, fruit, etc? This is the worst time of year for them here.

dufflight · **Posted:** Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:34 pm

Do they trap easily. Going to build a trap for sparrows. Gives you a choice on what to let go. Baiting you don't get a choice on what bird eats it.

chillidude · **Posted:** Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:22 am

I have a friend who's got an orchard up in the Carmel Valley and he has a permit to shoot the 28s. His blue heeler then proceeds to eat them - he reckons when they come out the other end they just look like a compressed 28, about ½ the size but still maintaing the basic shape, beak, feet and all ! :shock:

dufflight · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:29 am

Hope the copper and lead don't stay in the bird. May not be good for the dog.

pistolknight · **Posted:** Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:01 pm

We have a few varieties of parrots in our yard including 28's, we have a bird feeder tray that we put wild bird mix seed on and don't have many problems with them attacking the fruit trees, our biggest problem is white tail black cockatto's :bat:

noisy as, but we also have 3 almond tree's and in 9 years never been able to salvage an almond, have tried tieing cd's in trees, scarecrows, and bird netting, netting would work if it was chain mesh, they are huge birds

chillidude · **Posted:** Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:50 pm

Yeah, noisy is right - we get 'em here too. Don't mind 'em in the big gums, but they make a hell of a mess with the bottle brushes when they get in there. Red carpet all over the ground, which then blows into the pool.

Beautiful birds though !

oldute · **Posted:** Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:58 pm

Had my first problem with 28's (green & yellow parrots).
They have been eating all the chillies of my very hot chillie bushes.
I thought chillies wouldnt be touched by birds but obviously not!
Caught them a few times over the weekend at them.
Is it common for birds to eat chillies?

Jaymie · **Posted:** Mon Jul 05, 2010 5:52 pm

yep, especially "bird's eye chillis" the bower birds love them

Simo · **Posted:** Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:42 pm

Birds can't taste the chilli, it has no effect on them at all, surprising as it is. :learn:

Big_Dave · **Posted:** Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:27 pm

Chilli's natural effect on Mammals is the Capsacin, or the "Heat" measured in Scoffield Units. The heat deters mammals from eating them. Birds on the other other hand can taste the Chilli, thats why they eat them, but they are not affected by the Heat.

The chilli plant evolved to do this so that birds would eat the fruit and distribute the seeds over vast distances.

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Parrots

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Parrots

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