Flit #7 - Flit goes wild

This morning I took Flit to her new carer, Ivan, at Woodend. It's best for her to be with her own, out of danger of my cats.

It looks like a lovely place where she can learn to be a figbird, with others of her kind. It's bit run-down (I'm guessing this guy hasn't a lot of money), but I bet the birdies don't care.

Flit with his new carer, Ivan (below). He says she will fatten up on corn and peas, which sounds great.

Flit says goodbye and thanks.

I love you Flit, and I miss your little chirps already.

White seeds and tiny purple flowers

But wait, there's more...

Well, this has grown with all the rain...

Now

Before

Update 20 March 2016 - much fuller growth now.

Back fence

John began painting the corrugated fence white several months ago, and I have not yet continued it. The white definitely makes it look cleaner, and reflects light (and heat). That's part of the reason why I've not yet got back to it - summer heat. Will continue in the autumn.

Flit # 6 - Thanks to Trixie, Les, Kirsty and Ivan

All from BIRO Qld.

Flit #5 - Flit's fruit smash

Almost exclusively a fruit eater, Flit eats a mash of nectarine, banana, and pear, or sometimes blueberries, or mango, depending on what I have in the kitchen. Apparently they don't do apple, but other fruits are ok.

So I try to keep it natural for him, and mash up fresh fruits. Sometimes I 'anchor' the fruit with a little crumbs, or dog-meat roll scraping, or dog chow biscuit (1-3) soaked in water, so they are soft and mushy.

At times, I add a drop or three of water, especially with the chow or meat, so that there is plenty of fluid getting into his system.

I feed this to him with a tiny plastic spoon. The curved bottom I face towards the back of his head, so it would be like his mother's head pushing the food into his gullet. It seems to work - the little reverse-forked piece on his tongue seems to 'scrape' the smooth plastic of the spoon clean of food, and into his gullet, as it leaves his beak.

As I start work on Monday, he will go to another wildlife carer, to live with other figbirds, from tomorrow.

I hope he continues to thrive.

Second pink coral cutting

Let there be growth!

Looks like it's off to a good start, thanks to all the recent rain (including today).

This cutting also comes from Mum's garden (like the previous one, pictured, gone mad, below). I can only hope this one does the same, on the other fence side of the mailbox!

UPDATE 12 Feb 2016 - Here's how the second coral cutting looks now...it has definitely 'taken' (with tendrils winding their way around the fence) but not growing as fast as I had hoped. Maybe because the weather has cooled some?