(and sometimes the beast!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

20.11.16

URBAN BIRDLIFE...

Today I arrived back from my Sunday walk to find this beautiful creature marauding my tomatoes. She and a juvenile I couldn't snap because it was in the tomato bush were very cheeky and let me get fairly close before they flew off.  I hope they enjoyed the grubs in the tomatoes too.
 Here she is (on the left) chowing down but keeping one eye on me.  The other photo is a male just to show you the difference. A snap I took some time ago. The juveniles are similar colouring to the female until they colour up.
While I was reading the paper, I could hear some strange noises that turned out to be a couple of Lewin's honeyeaters having a lovely time in the bath I put up for that very purpose. I'd noticed a noisy miner coming down into the yard for a drink a couple of weeks ago, and put that up so they wouldn't have to risk being spotted by the cat on the few times he's outside. 
Call me suspicious but I think this drongo may have been in there too at some stage.  I filled it up again after the honeyeaters left.
During my walk I spotted this blue-faced honeyeater trying to eat a large insect (hopefully, a cockroach) or perhaps just getting a better grip so he/she wouldn't lose it on the way back to their nest. 
And finally, a common or as in this case, garden variety, peewee which bravely struts around the back yard chomping down insects, completely ignoring the cat.  Bruce doesn't seem bothered by it either. Such startling eye plumage.

"A bird in the bath, is worth two in the tomato bush"  SMuGly


2 comments:

  1. Lovely shots Sandy!
    The orange on the parrot is so vivid, not fair that only the males should be so beautiful in much of birdlife! boo!

    We don't get peewees around here unfortunately though they are on the Peninsula. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too vivid perhaps because it should be red. Might be the sun shining on him. I did read that the green/blue feathers can have a yellow sheen at times so perhaps that's it. Beautiful birds. I have at least 2 peewees who come to visit. Cheeky birds.

      Delete