Aussie Finch Forum

"I haven't had much interest from the birds in the paspalums or water grass"

These grasses can be available in mid summer along permanent creeks and ponds, when other more popular types are unavailable, so they will be eaten then. When Panic, Rye and other popular grasses are available the birds will certainly snub their noses at these varieties.
Water grasses are usually a pain to pick as you need Secateurs.

This is one is paspaldium jubiflorum and its one the water grasses that the birds love.Its also called Warrego Summer grass. Found in swampy ares.

3rd pic is a Sweet Vernal Grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum
4th is definately not the usual Paspalum, and may be one of the Carex sedges. are the seed head held upright on the end of the stem, or do they hang down?
5th is one of the so-called "Drain Sedges", Genus Cyperus. Most likely the introduced weed Cyperus rotundus

3rd pic also looks like cocksfoot to me.

MadHatter wrote:3rd pic is a Sweet Vernal Grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum
4th is definately not the usual Paspalum, and may be one of the Carex sedges. are the seed head held upright on the end of the stem, or do they hang down?
5th is one of the so-called "Drain Sedges", Genus Cyperus. Most likely the introduced weed Cyperus rotundus

Good get with the 3rd pic an identical pic can be found on google images.

The 4th pic the seed heads do stand up. definately not the regular paspalum (the one I pictured) which hangs down and is dark green compared to this very light green variety.

I'm sure your right on the 5th also.

Cocksfoot has a much thicker head than pic 3 Tiaris, rather like phalaris but with angular bits

Can anyone I.D. this grass it grows near the You Yangs in Victoria and I have also seen it near Seymore both times on the flat among short 3-5 metre gums it seeds from mid to late spring but is still around now due to good rains.
It grows in a tussock that is around 30cm high and seed heads reach about a metre.
May need a pic of entire tussock.
Finches love it and will leap over Panic and Rye grass to get at this.

That's trusty old veldt grass. Erharta calycina I would say. My birds love it too, have bags of it in the freezer at the moment, mixed with some Erharta longiflora. I collect the seeds at the milk seed stage, and the leaves and old seed stems are brilliant for nesting material as well.

so listen guys as a newbie i would like to know about storage of these grasses please. A milk seed is a green seed that isnt ripe yet? and you freeze all the seeds? Would i also be correct in saying that these seeds can act as a trigger for the breeding season

When introduced at the same time as other triggers such as warm days, nesting material, live food etc. it is certainly a trigger for breeding. You are correct in your understanding of milk seed, it is collected a little while before the seed hardens. In theory, all the nutrients are there, but in a much more easily digestible form for our birds. You should be able to squeeze the seed and a milky white substance comes out, instead of cracking the seed open. If not much white stuff (that's the not so technical term) comes out, you can be too early or too late in harvesting. As a general guide, when the seeds that developed first, usually at the end of the stalk, just start to turn brown, most other seeds are at the milk seed stage. I pick it then and store it in the freezer until I need it. All my little finches love it, even my cordons are in it instead of the maggots!

thanks for that spanna