Saturday 25 February 2017

A Garden Visitor 9

The distinctive 'whistle' of a beautiful Australian parrot often alerts us to its presence. We hear the King Parrot well before we see its vivid red and contrasting green feathers in amongst the silvery foliage of the olive trees that overhang our fence line. They come to feast, of course, on the ripening olive fruit. A free lunch!

 A male Australian King Parrot with an olive in its beak.

Such pretty plumage!

The male King Parrot is easily spotted because of the vibrant red feathers that cover his head and breast. The female's head and wings are of a brighter green but she still has that flash of vivid red too. 

 A female King Parrot perches in the Plane Trees.

 Nestled in among leaves of the trees.

It is a true joy to see these parrots in our garden. My photos, somewhat grainy today, don't do their colours justice so if you would like to see them in all their finery, and read a little more about them, you can visit this link to the Birds in Backyards page. (I hope to be able to capture clearer photos of them before the olives finish fruiting but they seem to sense when I'm near and fly off with their loud screeches echoing over the ridge.)

These stunning birds have been regular visitors to our garden over the last few weeks. Whenever we hear their 'whistles' on the wind, we rush out onto the verandah to see if we can catch a glimpse of these beautifully feathered friends. More often than not, they are in the olive trees!

Meg 



10 comments:

  1. There is something special about birds, all animals really, but birds seem to capture our attention so easily, they are just so beautiful in song and colour.

    You should plant your own olive tree, if for no other reason than to get them closer to your window! ;)

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    1. I love seeing the birds in and around our place, Cheryl. There are always parrots, magpies, kookaburras and butcher birds here and cockatoos, galahs and others, like these King Parrots, come to visit us sometimes too. I love listening to their calls and watching their antics. Meg:)

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  2. Beautiful photos of these gorgeous parrots Meg. We also find great delight from the birds in our gardens and paddocks, especially the parrot species with their enormous personalities. It does mean sharing some of our fruit, but we think it's worth it.

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    1. You're very kind about my photos, Sally:) I think it's a good thing when there's enough to "go round" in a garden, to share with the creatures who visit or make their homes within the fence lines. Meg:)

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  3. we get quite a few of them up here, am hoping my trees survive so i get more here, too many people in the area feed them so i don't see them in my backyard too often; i have a lot of the pale headed rosellas here though, they seem to prefer mostly grasses
    lovely photos
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Hi, Selina. The area in which I live, and the gardens in our neighbourhood, offer up a good food supply for native birds so there's been no need to put out extra for them. I do have bird baths for them, to drink and bathe in, which they've enjoyed during this hot summer we're having. How lovely for you to have the Pale Headed Rosella visitting. We see them quite rarely here, unlike the Rainbow Lorikeets who come every morning to feast among the grevillias. Meg:)

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  4. How absolutely beautiful!!! I can't imagine seeing parrots like this in the wild. We only have them in pet stores here in New York, sadly. I'm always so in awe of the photos that bloggers in Australia take of the wildlife in their yards. Kangaroos, koalas, to name a few that I've seen photos of. Truly amazing!!! Have a beautiful weekend and thank you so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment!!! xo

    ~ Wendy
    http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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    1. Hi, Wendy. I do feel very lucky to live in a place where we can be close to wildlife and nature. We have also planted a garden that invites the birds to visit and provides habitat for native lizards and the like. I feel so very sad whenever I see a bird in a cage, I can't imagine what it would be like to lose the freedom to fly when that is what one's wings are for! I hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend too. Meg:)

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  5. Those are beautiful birds! I wish I could see them in person!

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    1. They are truly beautiful, Rita. The red is so vibrant! They have a great time in the olive trees, feasting happily and flying off at the slightest disturbance. Meg:)

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