Several species of eucalypts are coming into flower in Ocean Grove creating a haven for honeyeaters and parrots, in particular Swift Parrots and several species of lorikeets. I was driving home from the post office at lunchtime when a flock of lorikeetish birds of indeterminate species flew across the road and landed in a small grove of trees in a side street. I (very briefly) considered continuing on but, as I had the camera in the back of the car, did a quick U-turn, parked and unpacked the camera. By the time I got the camera out of the car, I had identified the birds as Musk Lorikeets and I then went looking for a suitable location to catch them in the viewfinder. Not ideal shooting conditions in the middle of the day but, fortunately, the sky was light overcast which meant a reduction in harsh shadows, though looking up into trees made viewing heavily backlit.
Despite eucalypt flowers being mostly on the outside of the clusters of leaves, this is the usual view I seem to get of nectar-feeding birds
 |
| Musk Lorikeet, Ocean Grove |
However, this individual eventually exposed itself more photogenically for a few seconds...
 |
| Musk Lorikeet, Ocean Grove |
 |
| Musk Lorikeet, Ocean Grove |
...and then they were gone.
Great capture Ian.
ReplyDeleteGreat images of the feeding behaviour!
ReplyDeleteThanks Antonio and Marj
ReplyDeleteI always find it a challenge to capture nectar feeding birds in tall trees:
- looking up does not give the best view of the birds,
- the pale sky makes exposure difficult
- the birds are often in shadows and/or concealed by leaves
I was pleased with the two shots here...and I do love parrot feeding behaviour the way they hold onto flowers and buds with one foot :-)
Cheers, Ian