Diamond Firetail at SW Pond eating Chickweed

All Weeds Are Not Created Equal
We have got our best Diamond Firetail footage ever because a flock have been feeding for many weeks on our Chickweed.
This is a breathtaking and high quality video showing the SW pond which is surrounded by Chickweed
More information on the spot patterns of these beautiful birds and how our ponds are set-up can be read at http://www.victoriannativeseed.com.au...

Turquoise Parrots - like Diamond Firetails are near threatened (listed under FFG act) - have adapted to foraging on the introduced herbs and grasses that have gradually colonised woodland habitat throughout their range. When breeding, some seeds such as Quaking Grass and Cape Weed are crucial, as they are fed to nestlings and fledglings by adult birds. Post- breeding, in autumn and winter, Chris Tzaros has observed communal foraging flocks of up to 70 birds feeding on weeds such as Heliotrope and Chickweed among the marginal pastures and sparsely-treed paddocks abutting the timbered ranges.
From: Chris Tzaros, Australian Birdlife, Vol. 5 No. 3 September 2016.

The following very interesting information is from the internet:
Chickweed is a common weed throughout Australia, as well as the world. It comes in many varieties with the most often occurring being the ‘Common Chickweed’ shown in our pictures.
Chickweed is an annual herb which has been used for thousands of years and made into soups and put into salads. It is remarkably high in vitamins A, D, B Complex, and C, as well as being high in Calcium, Zinc, Potassium, Manganese, Silica, Phosphorous, Sodium and Copper.
As well as being a herb used for cooking, it is still commonly used in alternative medicines and made into balms to counteract inflammation and skin disorders. It can be steeped in hot water for ten minutes to make chickweed tea or added to green smoothies.
It is also used as a nutritious and favourite feed for chickens.
Many of the health claims attributed to chickweed seem linked to the abundant GLA component. Research has shown that GLA can clear congestion, control obesity, reduce inflammation, temper water retention and it can also serve as a liver tonic to reduce damage associated with alcohol.
It is critically important that you have accurately identified any weed before consumption as some weeds are toxic. One of the tell-tale identifying features of chickweed is a ridge of tiny hairs that runs up one side of each stem and this line of hairs changes sides at each leaf juncture.