Sunday, March 18, 2018

Early Morning Visitors

I planted some sunflowers in the garden outside the family room this summer. I had a number of reasons

1) I love the glorious blooms - that bit didn't work out because they decided to face north east instead of towards the house.

2) They're tall enough to screen the hideous building behind us at least temporarily - it's a house that cost a fortune, blocked out our views across the valley and resembles nothing so much as a very ugly factory unit (and it's not just us who think that. We've had numerous similar comments from visitors. The neighbours on either side of it had a right to be consulted and have things modified but because we're behind them we didn't).

3) I knew from past experience the seed heads would bring birds - and they have.


I've been trying to get a picture for a week or so but they're very shy and whenever I went outside, even if I was a considerable distance from them, they took off in a panic. So today I decided to try for a video through the window and it worked. 

I was hoping for twenty eight parrots - they are actually western Australian ringnecks but are more commonly known as twenty eights for their distinctive 'twenty eight' call - or some of the pink and grey galahs who live in the adjoining park might call in but I got these instead. They're little corollas which are actually feral in the Perth region. They used to be found only in the north west of the state but over the past 10-15 years with a combination of aviary escapes which have bred in the wild and a changing climate they have become established here. 

2 comments:

Jo said...

That was my first thought, were they galahs. I learned about them the first time in The Dish. Do you know the movie? Funnily enough I keep coming across them in nature programmes.

How is your ankle and now toe coming along. Matt seems to be doing pretty well now.

Helen V. said...

Yes I know 'The Dish', Jo, a very funny movie.
Galahs are lovely - very entertaining and pretty. The corollas are noisier. They screech a lot and do a lot of damage to fruit crops. Still we're lucky to have so many birds around whatever the species.
My toe's still very painful but the fracture has healed well. Something to. be grateful for.