I second the bird bath suggestion. I have six of varying types and sizes on our half acre-one is just a fabulous blue flower pot saucer that I picked up. Just be sure to change the water every other day or so to avoid hatching mosquitoes. In winter, I cover the large stone baths with a plastic contractor's bag that I mold to shape the basin so I can still fill it but avoid water getting into small fissures in the concrete, freezing, and cracking the bowl. Not pretty, but my concrete baths have lasted forever. May not be necessary, but I do it. Oh, and be sure to place the bath near a tree or shrub that offers protection if the soggy bird needs to get away quickly. My favorites to watch are the blue jays and the robins. They really revel in the bath! Too funny. Finches love my echinacea plants and it is such a joy to see the goldfinches perched atop them. I have never grown any from seed. I bought two plants years ago and they have spread nicely to create a decent stand. Also, get a feeder or two. I feed year round (no seeds or berries to speak of until mid-summer, you know) with hulled sunflower seeds, so no mess. I also put out a suet feeder with plain suet. The flickers and woodpeckers love the suet and if you use plain suet, you won't have a problem with squirrels eating it all! Have fun! The birdsong that will fill your yard year-round will be such a joy!

Looks like it to me. Nice shot. There is a bird forum where they are great at id-ing birds. JoanMN/FL

Welcome to the forums and i hope you will find great pleasure in your gardening. It's a continual learning process, so there are wins and losses along the way. First can I say that whichever family member managed to dig up your couple of mature birds of paradise, deserves a medal, because these plants would have to have one of the deepest and toughest root systems! I shifted a baby one once, and it took me a crow-bar and a great deal of sweat! They are often started by removing suckering new plants, but also division. In either process I suspect there is some damage to the root systems, and that's probably what you are seeing now. Please don't worry too much, these guys are sooooo tough that they are almost certain to survive. Just, as you say, its not an ideal time of year, as they won't be in growing mode to recover. I'm sure the problem is only initial transplant shock. Try a couple of doses of seasol, that sometimes helps. Cut off the leaves that are struggling, and as soon as the flowers are past their prime (or do so now - they last well as cut flowers) cut those off, too. The position and drainage you've chosen sounds fine. If there is any chance that they are actually getting more sun than they were in their previos home (even though the tems are getting wintery, the Qld sun is still quite strong) then you might help them "harden up" to their new position by giving them some temporary shade. This could be a bit of shade cloth or even some unwanted other greenery - shrubby stuff, cut off and stuck in the ground nearby to shade them. If you have watered them in well at planting time, don't overdo the water from now on, or any damaged roots that are now recovering, may simply rot. Normally they would not get much rain over winter and they are better on the dry side in that season. Also, don't waste fertilizer on them yet, that would do more harm than good. There's almost no large plant, that will not suffer a little set-back from being completely re-located, we home gardeners usually don't have the equipment or the man=-power to dig up a big enough root-ball to make it that easy. But most plants are also very forgiving, and eager to survive. I think yours will be fine in time, don't stress if they look much worse before they look better, you may have to wait till spring or summer to see an improvement. New leaves, will be a good sign at that time. good luck with them.

I have seeds to send to you for the Newbie packets but I lost your address. I'm so sorry I haven't gotten them to you sooner, the holidays and Real Life happened and frankly, 2016 is for crap thus far, but I want to get these out to you since you very kindly sent me some seeds last years right after we moved. Please let me know where to send them and I'll get them out to you right away.