(and sometimes the beast!)

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5.8.12

RUFFLED FEATHERS

 It's been a feathery weekend for me with lots of birds visiting or seen on my travels.  Here are but a few.
Firstly, this kookaburra with what looks like a basin haircut.  I think he was wondering where the promised treetops were...
 The people next door have a number of aviaries and I used to have dozens of these finches sitting in my trees waiting to swoop down for spilled seed.  Today is the first time I've seen them in ages and there were only about a dozen.  These are Chestnut Finches.
 Another kingfisher, to which family the Kookaburra belongs; this time a sacred kingfisher and the first one I've seen in my yard.  If you look closely you can see the grasshopper or preying mantis in his beak. Took him a little while to choke it down.
These are magpie larks, more commonly known as pee wees, which were just enjoying the sunshine for ages.  
The male has the black face and his feathers look a little ruffled.  Perhaps they just had an argument over something....
Lastly, and best of all, spotted these tiny birds (brown honeyeaters) building a nest in a shrub at eye level just out from my front verandah.  This is probably the best view of the nest I can get, given all the bits and pieces in the way. While they were off gathering supplies I actually cut a few offending branches away to get this perspective. 
They weren't particularly shy and were coming and going with scraps for the nest even while I was standing there.  Expect more shots, hopefully, with babies.