Even though there are some concerns about feeding native birds, there is no scientific evidence that it causes any harm. In fact, home owners assist in the survival of native birds by offering them food, water and shelter, protecting their nesting sites and growing...
Fostering Cubs Fiona Fearon and Rob Zammit are hand-rearing two tiger cubs. When only a few days old, the tiny Bengal tiger cubs were rejected by their mother. It is thought that a period of very heavy rain caused the mother to abandon her cubs to concentrate on her...
Jack the Corella Update We revisited Jack the Corella and his owner and trainer, Ida Gallop. As well as being an excellent talker Jack has many amazing tricks in his repertoire, including riding on a dustpan, rolling over, and going to the toilet on command. If you...
Jamieson the Trick Horse Horse trainer Steve Jefferys wrote to Burke’s Backyard to tell us about his black stallion, Jamieson. Jamieson, aka ‘Spud’, is a 7 year old Australian Stock Horse. He has a huge repertoire of tricks including: counting...
Maurie Don introduced a new member of the Burke’s Backyard team Maurie, the Pug puppy. He spent his first night in a box beside Don’s bed, so whenever he felt lonely Don was right there to comfort him. Like all puppies, Maurie is a bundle of mischief. He...
Don investigated some mysterious, funnel-shaped holes in a lawn. That night he returned to the same backyard with a torch, and discovered that bandicoots were coming in from the adjoining bushland and digging in the lawn for grubs, worms and other juicy morsels....
One of the issues that many people face when they are thinking about buying a pet is, ‘what do they cost?’. The question really only begins with the purchase price. Often there are hidden costs everywhere when you buy any pet, and new owners often have no idea of what...
Breed: Irish (Red) Setter Temperament: active, affectionate, sensitive Cost: $500-$1000 Lifespan: 12-14 years Maintenance: medium Recommended for: active people, large families History Commonly called the Red Setter, this dog is very dear to the Irish although its...
Don came across a pair of red-rumped parrots stripping a flannel flower. The flowers were too immature to have set seed, so he guessed the birds might have been feeding on the flower buds. Very little is known about the diet of our native parrots, so it’s often...
Sexing Peewees While filming a segment for Burke’s Backyard, Don noticed a pair of peewees foraging in his garden. Peewee (Grallina cyanoleuca) The peewee or Australian magpie-lark is also known as the mudlark, because it builds its nest from mud. The mud nest...