More pics of Wild Lovebirds in Arizona

[Keltoth]

Found this while surfing about the internet, thought folks here might enjoy it:

http://birdfotos.com/birdfoto/love_birds/peach_faced/peach_face1.htm

- Eric

[Eliza]

Oh, I haven't yet come across that site of the feral AZ lovies. Thank you so much for the link, Eric :)

Can you imagine hiking through the desert or walking in a park and stumbling across a flock of feral lovebirds? How strange!

-e-

[Finnysmommie]

ok weird, that sign seems familiar to me. Do we know where this is (city)??? I would love to go and check it out.

Cindy

[Finnysmommie]

Ok I admit it I am to impatient to wait.. I looked it up and it must seem familar as it is the town I used to live in and it is only about 1/2 hour from me now... so guess where I am going this weekend??? lol

Thanks for the pics!

Cindy

[Janie]

Oh wow! do all lovebirds come from arizona? lol just wondering hehehe I was shocked to see that hehehe

You are kidding, right? :confused: Just in case you are serious, lovebirds come from Africa. I'm pretty sure these feral birds were born in the wild in AZ and my three were hatched in the US but if we were to trace them all the way back, it would be to Africa. If you don't have any books on lovebirds, I'd highly recommend Vera Appleyard's, "The Lovebird Handbook." It lists where each and every lovebird species comes from and has a whole lot of other good information on lovebirds.



Cindy, lucky you!!!! I would love to see them in person, what a sight to behold! :D Let us know if you go and if you see them! :)

[bellarains]

That is just too cool. I would love to see that. Cindy, take lots of pics, so we can feel like we went there with you:)

[wilkiecoco]

oh wow, oh my goodness!!!!!! the pics are amazing - i have to admit i got an ache in my heart looking at them. i wish that kiwi could have that life of freedom. i know he has a good one with me, loved and cared for, food easily accessible, warm and safe, but seeing those lovies asleep on a branch fills me with such joy. now i need to go kiss kiwi!!! :D

[Janie]

oh wow, oh my goodness!!!!!! the pics are amazing - i have to admit i got an ache in my heart looking at them. i wish that kiwi could have that life of freedom. i know he has a good one with me, loved and cared for, food easily accessible, warm and safe, but seeing those lovies asleep on a branch fills me with such joy. now i need to go kiss kiwi!!! :D

Robyn, I know and agree that freedom is a wonderful thing to see but odds are great that they won't live nearly as long in the wild as in captivity so we just gotta make them as happy as we can in the captive situation. :) I've been "bluebirding" for 6 years and have lost two females and two males in that short period. :( So much bad stuff happening out there in the wild.

[wilkiecoco]

Janie,

what does that mean "bluebirding?"

[Janie]

Janie,

what does that mean "bluebirding?"

:D.....I "host", provide nest boxes and monitor them, for Eastern Bluebirds or any other native songbird that wants to use them. I have three nest boxes and the bluebirds always choose the one in my back yard. Last year, the front yard box hosted Brown Headed nuthatches and the side yard box had Carolina Chickadees. :D It was a great year!

There is no doubt in my mind that the reason I said "yes" when Oliver was offered to me for adoption was because of my bluebirds. I could not bring them inside so I figured a lovie might feel that void! Boy, did he ever! :D

[CaptMicha]

I don't mean to be a downer but this is a big problem. The lovebirds are competing with the native birds and displacing them in terms of nest and feed. Lovebirds are very destructive animals, stripping leaves from trees and so on.

I wonder how so many birds were released there in order to form many breeding colonies. I know you guys are but I wish others would be more pet responsible.

[dovelady4]

OK, I'm seriously getting Louie a cage upgrade this summer!! Hope he never sees these pics!:)

[Robin VZ]

I don't mean to be a downer but this is a big problem. The lovebirds are competing with the native birds and displacing them in terms of nest and feed. Lovebirds are very destructive animals, stripping leaves from trees and so on.

I wonder how so many birds were released there in order to form many breeding colonies. I know you guys are but I wish others would be more pet responsible.

You are absolutely correct! Release of non-native species is a huge problem. One of the reasons bluebirds have had such a rough recovery is because of starlings that were introduced into North America. They compete with bluebirds for nest cavities. Lovebirds cause the same problem when put into an environment they don't belong in. This is the same problem that has caused many states to outlaw quaker parrots. They can take the winters. I often wonder if they're not a suitable replacement for the carolina parakeet that is now extinct but I don't think that's something we should decide by releasing birds. I can't say I don't enjoy watching a lovebird flying free but it should be in Africa where they belong. Lovebirds reproduce rapidly and it probably didn't take long for just a few birds to be the basis for a fairly large population.

[miracleleo]

Wow. It's amazing.
They can really be adapted to Arizona, can't they?

http://www.parrotchronicles.com/marchapril2003/feral2.htm

[Finnysmommie]

Well we went to go see the lovebirds at the reserve today and I guess they knew we were coming and played hide and seek. We only saw two the whole time and just as I focused my camera on them, my hubby walked closer and made them fly away. :mad:

Other people say they saw about a dozen of them. We only saw the two, but we did leave pretty quickly as I had on long sleeves and it was hot! ( i know those of you in the north and east dont want to hear that).

We do plan on returning and maybe next time we will get some pics.

I did notice that the two we saw looked bigger than my Finny and Reilly. They also looked really cool flying. I am used to the somewhat wobbly flying of lovies with clipped wings. Seeing those two just fly like the wind in the wild was actually pretty cool.

Cindy

[miracleleo]

I'd like to visit the place someday to see them. I wonder what they are eating in the desert.

[Janie]

Cindy, thank you for the update! Even two, in the wild, WOW!

[CaptMicha]

I know what you mean but nothing can replace the Carolina Parakeet. The only parrot species native to the US and people just had to kill it off! People sicken me!

Not you guys of course...:D

[zlatushka]

I know what you mean but nothing can replace the Carolina Parakeet. The only parrot species native to the US and people just had to kill it off! People sicken me!


I'd heard about this species over and over, but never seen a picture of it, so I did a search. Wow. Beautiful birds. What would that have been like to be able to see those in your backyard??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_parakeet

[Finnysmommie]

I'd like to visit the place someday to see them. I wonder what they are eating in the desert.

I did notice several different types of feeders while we were there. I imagine they are eating the other birds food. It is a wild life preserve so there is a lot of things there besides just desert stuff. There are a lot of trees and two or maybe three little lakes. I think most of the stuff there is native to AZ but there is an abundance of it as apposed to the desert where there is dirt and cactus and scrub.

I am curious how long the lovebirds have been there. I cant imagine how they tolerate our summers here.

[rmhand]

Thank you for posting the link. That is amazing. I, too, would love to visit and watch them interact in the wild. I think my birds need a tree...maybe a fake one. Are those harmful to them?

[Robin VZ]

I am curious how long the lovebirds have been there. I cant imagine how they tolerate our summers here.

Well,
They've got a water source and their home climate probably is just as hot. They probably don't nest in the warmest part of summer. Feeders are probably their main source of food.

Fake trees can be harmful if your bird ingests them. You can cut real branches from trees that haven't been sprayed with insecticide. Apple and willow are both good choices. Scrub them with a 10% bleach/water solution and let them dry in the sun. Your birds will love stripping the bark off of them.

[zlatushka]

Thank you for posting the link. That is amazing. I, too, would love to visit and watch them interact in the wild. I think my birds need a tree...maybe a fake one. Are those harmful to them?

One of the coolest things I have seen is over at Eric's (Keltoth) house when he had all of his lovies loose in the bird room. There was a big willow branch in there (the size of a small tree, seriously!) and the birds were perching all over it and jockeying for the prime positions. Fascinating to watch how they interacted. Then he had one of his sons bring a bowl of popcorn in and that really got things going. :rofl: Wild Kingdom in action! ;)

[snowboardmandy]

Rachel, I thought the same thing when I was at Erics! I truly wish I would have had more time to spend there with the birds, and to meet you too! It was really a sight to see, as I am used to only one little goose demanding my constant attention :)