Peach drooling
 

0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...

As I understand it, willow roots will wrap round your pipes and squeeze
them. Or, they'll infiltrate them and clog them up. Dunno if that's an old
wives' tale, but the local people are very anti-willow! I know you're not
allowed to plant one in our council district.

i wonder if casuarinas would do the same thing?

Awwww... please don't burst my bubble! I'm firmly convinced they're the
answer to all my problems! =:-0

I love willow too, but I think it deters other native flora and absolutely
takes over riverbanks to the extent that nothing else will grow there. If
willow out-competes your normal flora, then it's stuffing up an awful lot
of habitat for fauna as well.

I've been told the reason for a lot of the parrots we're seeing in towns
lately is the lack of native tucker (including casuarinas) to eat farther
inland. While it's awful in terms of The Drought, I can't say I mind
having the parrots to gawp at! In my childhood, you threw a party if you
saw a galah on its own. Now, we have flocks of galahs and SC cockies and
corellas, oh and even lorikeets of several varieties. AND, I, myself,
personally have seen a flock of Yellow-tailed Black cockies flying over my
very house!!! Never in a million years would I have thought I'd see that!

lovely! we have lots of birds & i enjoy them more than i thought i would.

i consider galahs vermin, though, i must say. when i was growing up they
were rampant in the central west (where my family comes from). in the
evenings, they would gather in massive groups to eat people's television
aerials, etc. haven't been there for quite a while though, so i'm not sure
if they are still considered a tiresome pest.

They're funny to watch, though. Here in N'cle it's the SC cockies that
kill TV aerials.

we don't get them here where i am.

cockies 1: the black cockatoos freak me RIGHT OUT. it's that noise they
make. they freak my chickens out as well.

Yeah, it's weird, isn't it? Still, it's such a special pleasure to see
them in the suburbs, I listen for it. I saw (and heard) a Channel-Billed
Cuckoo the other day right in N'cle City! Nearly fell out of the car, I
did! A storm was coming, so I guess that sort of explained him being
there. But in the City???

cockies 2: i love it when a flock of sulphur-crested cockies is about. i
always say (experimentally) "hello, cocky". you would be _amazed_ at how
often one of them says "hello cocky" back again!!

Waaaahhhhh! So do I! Great Minds, eh? LOLOLOLOL!

Here in N'cle, we're getting ever-increasing flocks of SC cockies, but
also considerable flocks of corellas as well. AND, a fair percentage of
those are long-billed corellas which, when I first started bird-watching
(mumblemumble years ago) were quite rare. I once counted two hundred of
them perched on the power lines in our street. Still, the SC cockies are
the ones: to see a big flock wheeling against a cloudless blue summer
sky brings a lump to my throat. They remind me of souls or angels or
something. (Not that I'm religious or anything). ;-D



--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Peach drooling
 

Trish Brown wrote:

cockies 1: the black cockatoos freak me RIGHT OUT. it's that noise
they make. they freak my chickens out as well.

Yeah, it's weird, isn't it? Still, it's such a special pleasure to see
them in the suburbs, I listen for it.

Well, we are not in the suburbs in Campbelltown. we have a Banksia
integrifolia in our front yard (planted) and on one occassion we have
seven doing heavy damage to the cones. We seem to get an few annual fly
overs, if not visits We also get Gang Gangs flying past.

I saw (and heard) a Channel-Billed Cuckoo the other day right in
N'cle City! Nearly fell out of the car, I did!
A storm was coming, so I guess that sort of explained him being
there. But in the City???

Each year, we have one large and two small birds flying around during
late spring/summer. This year, we had a few days of witnessessing a
couple of currawongs feeding a young bird until the wet started a
fortnight ago, but have not sighted the usual trio ths year.

I suspect the currawongs actually nested in a diagonal neighbours exotic
pine tree with the mynahs and blackbirds as we noticed the currawongs
around for some time. Usually they are a winter bird in our yard.

cockies 2: i love it when a flock of sulphur-crested cockies is about.
i always say (experimentally) "hello, cocky". you would be _amazed_ at
how often one of them says "hello cocky" back again!!

Some afternoons, the group of five major gum trees in ours and back
neighbours yard is THE meeting place to swap gossip.

We have also been enjoying the trees being used as a "nursery" tree
where the young sulphur crested cockatoos are left.

An ex-wires person claimed a lot of the sulphur crested are actually
birds they have handled. damaged or handed in when people found out how
big their pet was going to. so they are habituated (gr? sp?) to humans.

Here in N'cle, we're getting ever-increasing flocks of SC cockies, but
also considerable flocks of corellas as well. AND, a fair percentage of
those are long-billed corellas which, when I first started bird-watching
(mumblemumble years ago) were quite rare.

We have had both in past dry years. Not this year since the moisture has
been around. although, I do know the Riverina has been getting nillish
rain, so they haven't gone back there.

Peach drooling
 

0tterbot wrote:

i also have a tree (not a fruit tree) that some ninny planted into a car
tyre. now the tyre won't come off & can't be cut either (steel belt).
sigh!!! the trunk is as big as the hole in the tyre. we are flummoxed!

Bolt cutters should suffice on the steel bead, then an angle grinder
with cut off disc, unless you really want to work you way around with a
hacksaw (draw strokes only)

Peach drooling
 

Terryc wrote:
Trish Brown wrote:

cockies 1: the black cockatoos freak me RIGHT OUT. it's that noise
they make. they freak my chickens out as well.


Yeah, it's weird, isn't it? Still, it's such a special pleasure to
see them in the suburbs, I listen for it.


Well, we are not in the suburbs in Campbelltown.

Blah, brain fart, rushing to get things done.
We ARE in the suburbs of Campbelltown.

Peach drooling
 

exactly. whereabouts are you? (although i think the entire eastern
seaboard
is awash.)

Wards River.

never heard of it! :-)
kylie



North of Newcastle, South of Taree.

D

Peach drooling
 

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"0tterbot" wrote in message

cockies 1: the black cockatoos freak me RIGHT OUT. it's that noise they
make. they freak my chickens out as well.

If they are the big ones with the yellow under the wing, then get to love
them. when they fly over screaming, it's a sure sign of rain. You might
not want it now, but when it gets dry, I bless the sight of those cockies.

you're right - i don't want it now g

have never noticed that connection. i'm clearly too busy going "argh!!".
while watching "ten canoes" on telly the other week, i got the impression
that black cockatoos were/are considered a bad luck bird (because they made
everyone nervous, then after that there was an unhappy incident within the
story etc etc). i might have been seeing things that weren't there &
projecting, though ;-)

cockies 2: i love it when a flock of sulphur-crested cockies is about. i
always say (experimentally) "hello, cocky". you would be _amazed_ at how
often one of them says "hello cocky" back again!!

How many hundred of the filthy brutes would you like? I could probably
arrange a semi trailer load.

i love them! they don't bother me at all.
kylie

Peach drooling
 

"Terryc" wrote in message
...
0tterbot wrote:

i also have a tree (not a fruit tree) that some ninny planted into a car
tyre. now the tyre won't come off & can't be cut either (steel belt).
sigh!!! the trunk is as big as the hole in the tyre. we are flummoxed!

Bolt cutters should suffice on the steel bead, then an angle grinder with
cut off disc, unless you really want to work you way around with a hacksaw
(draw strokes only)

tyre is too full for hacksaw! i shall refer dh to the various advices i have
received.

oh bugger it, we could always cut it down anyway. we're not exactly
tree-deprived.
kylie

Peach drooling
 

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
give me a few years & i might withdraw the silly mounds opinion. not yet
though!!!! of course, i came across our mounds when it was as dry as
anything & because of them couldn't seem to get any water going onto the
actual trees. now it's wet, things are different. argh!

Paul's sill little mopunds are ones with a scoop shae in the top to hold
water fro those drier times. A bit like a pumpkin planting mounds -
raised up, about a metre wide but with the dish shaped top - he plants
into the dish shape.

THAT makes sense.
at our place, some were placed along small ridges, (less than 1m wide). you
can imagine how silly that seems to me.
kylie

Peach drooling
 

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"0tterbot" wrote in message

our worst erosion gully is just shocking, & when we came here it wasn't
even on our property - but it's travelled, so now it is. being in a
difficult location, we haven't decided exactly what to do. it needs to be
filled though - it's not a creek (or at any rate, it _wasn't_ ;-) we did
a bit of discreet trespassing to look at the worst of it. omg..!

Sadly the only way to effectively deal with erosion gullies is to treat
them at the starting point and move downwards from there. If that isn't
on your land, you'll be shovelling it uphill to fix the problem.

Probably the best thing you could do is to effectively put in 'weirs' of
rocks, branches, tyres, to catch and slow flows and plant as much as you
can on the sides bases etc. But in reality, it won't be easy without
having access to the starting point

and by starting point, do you mean the head - the part that travels back
toward where the water is coming from? it used not to be on our land, but
now it is - so now we can work on it (when we get to it).

i also wanted to block the flow from getting into the head. we put across
some branches & whatnot to try to divert the flow a bit, but realised we'll
have to do it more effectively, as "just a little bit" doesn't seem to help.
i think we need to prioritise all of this somewhat (since the head has
travelled probably 10 metres in 18 months).
kylie

Peach drooling
 

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...

exactly. whereabouts are you? (although i think the entire eastern
seaboard
is awash.)

Wards River.

never heard of it! :-)
kylie



North of Newcastle, South of Taree.

ooh, it's nice around there. is a good gardening climate?
kylie

Peach drooling
 

"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
"0tterbot" wrote in message

cockies 1: the black cockatoos freak me RIGHT OUT. it's that noise they
make. they freak my chickens out as well.

If they are the big ones with the yellow under the wing, then get to love
them. when they fly over screaming, it's a sure sign of rain. You might
not want it now, but when it gets dry, I bless the sight of those
cockies.

you're right - i don't want it now g

:-)) We could still do with more here, but the other place is going gang
busters. Feed to the hips - bliss - no feeding out this winter!

have never noticed that connection. i'm clearly too busy going "argh!!".

Ask around the older members of your community. One of the long range old
school weather forecasters (of the Lennox Walker variety, but I can't
specifically remember which one it was) once wrote that of all those old
wive's tale animal weather forecasters, the "black cockies flying over
screeching" was the only one he actually believed in and found to be a true
rain forecaster.

while watching "ten canoes" on telly the other week, i got the impression
that black cockatoos were/are considered a bad luck bird (because they
made everyone nervous, then after that there was an unhappy incident
within the story etc etc). i might have been seeing things that weren't
there & projecting, though ;-)

Coul dbe something in it. If you think about it, if you wore very few
clothes and lived with very little reliable shelter, you too would think
that rain was bad luck :-))

cockies 2: i love it when a flock of sulphur-crested cockies is about. i
always say (experimentally) "hello, cocky". you would be _amazed_ at how
often one of them says "hello cocky" back again!!

How many hundred of the filthy brutes would you like? I could probably
arrange a semi trailer load.

i love them! they don't bother me at all.

They haven't started eating your house or trees or nippin of the top of
vegetables for 'fun' I assume ;-))

Peach drooling
 

"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message

give me a few years & i might withdraw the silly mounds opinion. not yet
though!!!! of course, i came across our mounds when it was as dry as
anything & because of them couldn't seem to get any water going onto the
actual trees. now it's wet, things are different. argh!

Paul's sill little mopunds are ones with a scoop shae in the top to hold
water fro those drier times. A bit like a pumpkin planting mounds -
raised up, about a metre wide but with the dish shaped top - he plants
into the dish shape.

THAT makes sense.
at our place, some were placed along small ridges, (less than 1m wide).
you can imagine how silly that seems to me.

Hmmm, sounds to me like the ridges might have been formed by machinery??????
Could that be the explanation of how they were made or are they supposed to
be sawles for water diversion? Where you are in wet times, it makes sense
planting on mounds/ridges rather than in a depression whihc makes more sense
here.

Peach drooling
 

"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
"0tterbot" wrote in message

our worst erosion gully is just shocking, & when we came here it wasn't
even on our property - but it's travelled, so now it is. being in a
difficult location, we haven't decided exactly what to do. it needs to
be filled though - it's not a creek (or at any rate, it _wasn't_ ;-) we
did a bit of discreet trespassing to look at the worst of it. omg..!

Sadly the only way to effectively deal with erosion gullies is to treat
them at the starting point and move downwards from there. If that isn't
on your land, you'll be shovelling it uphill to fix the problem.

Probably the best thing you could do is to effectively put in 'weirs' of
rocks, branches, tyres, to catch and slow flows and plant as much as you
can on the sides bases etc. But in reality, it won't be easy without
having access to the starting point

and by starting point, do you mean the head - the part that travels back
toward where the water is coming from?

By 'head' I mean the point where the erosion starts - often jsut a tiny
point of erosion in the grass, but widening out as you go downhill to God
knows how big at the end of the gully.

it used not to be on our land, but
now it is - so now we can work on it (when we get to it).

i also wanted to block the flow from getting into the head. we put across
some branches & whatnot to try to divert the flow a bit, but realised
we'll have to do it more effectively, as "just a little bit" doesn't seem
to help.
i think we need to prioritise all of this somewhat (since the head has
travelled probably 10 metres in 18 months).

Ouch. this is where someone with a machine and some earth moving skills can
help.

Peach drooling
 

FarmI wrote:

They haven't started eating your house or trees or nippin of the top of
vegetables for 'fun' I assume ;-))

Is anyone feeding other birds close by?

I have a theory that if people feed other birds, then the white
cockatoo, etc also comes down for a look and then ends up doing what
comes naturally; chewing through house wood looking for grubs.

Our blocks have 5 large gums in the backyard which are favourite rest/
get together places for white cockatoos and others, but in the 24 years
we have been here, they have never attacked any house or other wood.
Yep, the gum gets it regularly.

As to veges. right under the tree, but they have never come down to
them. It might be flight lines, aka lack of long take off runs.

I notice that they feast on exotic pine nuts on 2m-3m high pines in
other front gardens in the street and higher ones in other back yards.

Peach drooling
 

FarmI wrote:

By 'head' I mean the point where the erosion starts - often jsut a tiny
point of erosion in the grass, but widening out as you go downhill to God
knows how big at the end of the gully.

My understanding is that it is the velocity of the water that does the
damage, aka washes the soil away.

Have you tried the carpet trick? Peg carpet up from and over the head.
Ideally this protects the soil at the head from being washed away and
eroded area expanding. Hopefully by the time the carpet rots away, grass
has established strongly. Carpet will also hold soil on top to help
grass, etc, establish.