Persimmon and Parrots

When we bought this house there were two redeeming features in the backyard.  These were two trees.  One large tree which shades the chook house and the shed.  To date I do not know what species this is.  It drops its leaves in autumn and it growns this strange fruit which forms a hard nut like feature.  These drop all over the backyard and into the frog pond we set up.  The other tree was an astringent persimmon.

So far the persimmon has flowered and produced fruit every year but one.  Every year, except this year, the fruit is sweet and juicy.  The rains this year waterlogged the fruit and took away a lot of the sweetness.

Previously I have devised a fool proof method of harvesting the persimmon before the parrots and fruit fly can attack them.  I pick them just as they begin to colour.  These fruit ripen indoors quite nicely.  For anyone who doesn't know, the astringent variety has to be eaten when it is fully ripe and soft.  The hard variety of persimmon are eaten hard like an apple.  This year as the fruit ripened indoors it became slushy and I put this down to the rains.  Be this as it may it does not stop the parrots loving them.  The bite out huge chunks and leave the rest on the tree.  Eventually these drop to the ground and other birds come and eat the leftovers.

We have many parrots around here.  The Rosellas and another plain species of parrot seem to like the persimmon best.  The Rainbow Lorikeets love the plums in spring and ignore the persimmon and the beautiful Sulpur Crested Cockatoos just sit majestically in the gum tree surveying all below them until they decide to fly in a great formation making a tremendous squawking noise which drowns out all other sounds.