Cousins catch up @ Currumbin

My dear cousin Jo lives on the Gold Coast and we hadn't seen each other since Boxing Day.  We arranged to meet at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  The kids really enjoy feeding the lorikeets and Jo and I appreciate sharing a coffee. A win:win plan.  

Lachlan jumped at the chance to pose with a jungle carpet snake

Jo and I caught up on our news and talked about how we will be planning to celebrate our respective "50th" this year.



As you can see, there aren't many lorikeets in any of the photos. The guide said there were lots of birds of prey in the sky.  When I looked at the website there was also this explanation:

Why are there sometimes only a few lorikeets at the Sanctuary?

The lorikeets that feed at the sanctuary are wild birds, therefore we have no control over their numbers. 

The birds prefer to feed from natural sources rather than come to CWS during warmer weather, when there are many native trees in full bloom. Our aim is to provide a supplement to their diet, we do not replace it all.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary only offers a supplementary feed to the Rainbow and Scaley-breasted Lorikeets as per our “Wildlife Interaction” Permit.  Lorikeet numbers are dependent on a number of factors including temperature, rainfall and presence of predatory birds in the area.   Rainfall is probably the most important factor as we tend to get more birds after periods of heavy rain as it washes the nectar from the flowers that the birds would normally feed upon.

What do you feed the lorikeets?

The mixture that we feed the lorikeets is a commercially produced product called Wombaroo – Lorikeet and Honey-eater food. 

It comes in a powder, which we mix with water and add a little bit of honey for taste. The powder contains vitamins and minerals. Wombaroo has milk products in it and does not have any traces of nuts. 


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