April feasting in the backyard

Blessed during autumn to have a variety of fruit available in our yard for the birds. No need for feeders here, just enjoy them feasting on what nature provides. Plenty to go around as you will see 😀.

While not quite ripe in April (mid-May through June usually) the madarine tree has a good crop this year, and as you see with this first photo, the rainbow lorikeets are not intent on waiting for them to ripen before sucking the juice and flesh from the skin - this one carefully weighing up whether to try one, or maybe wait a little longer and move on to one with a bit more colour (many already sampled)! The wide variety of colour in the plumage is evident here, right down to some flecks of red among the blue of the head.

Then across the yard to the east is a patch of lady-finger banana plants. Several bunches have ripened simultaneously, so the surplus has been a feeding ground for weeks now - a noisy restaurant but atleast during the day and thus more palatable to the ear than drunken flying foxes during the night! Grateful for small mercies.

This first rainbow lorikeet carefully watching me get into position for some photos and making sure I know that is close enough, all the tables are already booked 😉!

This next one I include because it struck me, first, how the birds were sharing (albeit noisily); secondly, it is almost like the lorikeet is trying to hide on the rgiht under a hand of bananas so the blue-faced honeyeater notices it's presence a little less.

The next two photos show the honeyeaters sharing "the table", with both glancing up to make sure I don't encroach too far - makes you feel like a waiter trying to be inconspicuous and being failing miserably 😁. The lighting serves to accentuate their camouflage capabilities as well.

I had trouble choosing from among a series that depicts the birds taking their turns waiting patiently for their next course - I imagined a patient line to get to the dessert table! In the end some photos in the set may seem a lilttle repetitive in the setting but I decided to overdo it because I think the palette the birds offer just "belongs" at this dessert table! So many wonderful colours and characteristics for you to savour - take your time 👏

See ... worth the wait to have the leftovers all to myself!

Not just bananas either ... here feasting on the flowerettes of the unmbrella tree. Clicking on the photo will enable you to enlarge it and if you do, take a minute to check out two details. First, notice the (greyish) tongue of the lorikeet is extended under the top beak reaching onto  the the flowerettes. This is the licking motion they use to access the nectar. Second, on the bottom middle of the second (green) leaf to the right of the head of the lorikeet, you can see a hovering bee waiting for it's turn to resume once the lorikeet moves on! One of those details you only have a chance of picking up when reviewing the photo - if you are lucky 😃.

Finally, a rainbow lorikeet keeping an eye on me while considering whether to let the noisy miner have a spare seat & share (which transpired). 

Sometimes you just don't need to go anywhere to notice what is right where we are!