I was driving home yesterday, when I spotted a group of rainbow lorikeets feasting on a flowering tree. Thinking that this was the easiest and laziest bird watching I could ever do, I pulled over and strolled up to them. They didn't seem bothered by my presence at all (probably too busy stuffing their beaks).
Isn't it great when something like that happens! They look like their having a nice feed.
Great shots windshear, I have to say I have soft spot for rainbow lorikeets as we found one last October and couldn't reunite it with its owner. He/she ( I think it maybe a girl) Rita has become a big part of the family now and boy they certainly have their own boisterous character. As for stuffing their beaks they can't get enough of that , I have to raid my garden everyday for fresh native flowers , that alien tongue of their works frantically overtime.
Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.
Good lazy birding windshear ..... that is my favourite kind ha ha . Isn't it incredible when they are gorging themselves how they couldn't care less about you ? All the golden Pendas are out here at the moment among others, and I was just outside talking to a friend and watching the Noisy friarbirds and my favourite Spangled Drongo feasting... of course by the time I got to my camera they had moved to another buffet
You got a tongue shot too ..... like Shoop says...Alien tongues , they are incredible
Sunshine Coast Queensland
That sounds lovely, Birdie and Shoop. :) (and thanks for letting me know what the tree was, I was wondering).
Great photos ... good luck with the lazy birding, makes up for all those times we put in a lot of effort and end up with nothing
Yes, Golden Pendas (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) are a lovely tree.
They are often used as street trees around Brissie, as they are spectacular when in flower and don't grow too high in the open (maybe 3 to 6m or so), so don't trouble power lines.
They are all out in flower around my place at the moment too, which is really nice, and great for the honeyeaters.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
They are everywhere timmo up here on the Sunshine Coast too, and the birds are loving them. the only complaint I have is that I have recently moved into a suburb where the more attractive plants are plentiful, such as these and grevillea and bottlebrush, and I feel that the noisy and more aggressive birds have really taken over. The Little Wattlebirds totally own the garden at our place, and the Noisy Friarbirds too. Even the noisy miners are not as plentiful here as they were when I lived near more native bush and larger trees in Buderim.
Not complaining about the resident Spangled Drongo who also loves the Pendas though... but i Hav eyet to get that great shot of him with his spangles in the sun and the yellow behind
Sunshine Coast Queensland
A road near me has these planted for about a kilometre along part of it. Very popular.
Noisy Friarbirds certainly live up to their name!
Undoubtedly a lovely tree but where is the understorey to support the smaller native birds?
You cant plant an understorey on the side of a street Woko... but that was my point above about the aggressive birds .
Sunshine Coast Queensland
How about in gardens & reserves, in pots & around buildings, birdie?
I actually see quite a bit of that in Queensland but am definitely against it with streetscaping as a general rule because already when you are at eyelevel and pulling out of an intersection there are often bushes stopping your vision.
The trees in question were on a street as windshear saw them whilst driving along. I just don't think our noisy existence is very inviting to the smaller birds at all. People are becoming better at garden planting than they used to be from what I see, but with the prevalence of such attractive trees it seems the survival of the biggest seems to win out.
Anyway windshear, I am glad you found them and I totally agree that they give a beautiful show especially when combined with the colours of the rainbows
Sunshine Coast Queensland