Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life. The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.
Like River I generally run with a theme. This week the King Parrots are back! They go into the hills around town to rear their chicks and return in Autumn - hungry. And we are very, very glad to see them. The male has the red/orange head and the female the green. For such vivid birds their camouflage is surprisingly good. As always, clicking on the photos will embiggen them.
You can see the flash of blue on the female's back here - it is usually hidden, but there is a quite a lot of blue in their plumage.
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life. The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.
Like River I generally run with a theme. This week the King Parrots are back! They go into the hills around town to rear their chicks and return in Autumn - hungry. And we are very, very glad to see them. The male has the red/orange head and the female the green. For such vivid birds their camouflage is surprisingly good. As always, clicking on the photos will embiggen them.
How splendid . like your heart :-)
ReplyDeleteAloha
Cloudia: They are very, very beautiful (and much more so than my heart).
DeleteTruly magnificent. And feeding out of your hand ... oh my!
ReplyDeleteWendy aka Quillfeather: I don't quite know why they will eat from our hands because in some ways they are very nervous birds. I am happy that they will though. Very happy.
DeleteThe color of that bird doesn't seem real, so surrealistic.
ReplyDeleteLinda Starr: I am amazed at how easily they disappear. Given their colours I would expect them to stand out - but they don't.
DeleteWow, what colourful parrots. And I'm sure the food in the hand was fit for a King Parrot.
ReplyDeleteGary :)
klahanie: Aren't they lovely? They are also very fond of apple - but it has to be green.
DeleteStunning birds! Terrific captures EC, I love the 3rd one in dappled sunlight!
ReplyDeleteKaren: They brighten my world.
DeleteAbsolutely beautiful!!!!
ReplyDeleteCindi Summerlin: Aren't they? I love them.
DeleteStunning! I've been trying to catch a bluebird. It evades the camera but taunts me when I don't have it along. Maybe...
ReplyDeletereneejohnsonwrites.com: I would love to see a bluebird. And yes, birds are very good at avoiding the camera.
DeleteWhat a spectacular species! Have I ever told you that I envy your opportunities with such "exotic" birds? Only every other time I comment on your blog and I'm saying it again.
ReplyDeleteron dudley: As you know, I think your birds are exotic and amazing (and your photos are very much better too).
DeleteSo pretty!
ReplyDeleteSherri Abendroth: And, unlike lots of our birds they are quite nice to listen to as well.
DeleteThank you for sharing those beautiful parrots with us. We don't have them over here in the west so are quite envious. They are truly gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMimsie: It was my pleasure. I do love our birds and spend a LOT of time each day watching them.
DeleteSo nice to see you, even if it is just a little bit of you. Nice to see the King Parrots too. I know them from the Vic. Alps. I find them hard to photograph as the red and green never come out as bright as my old eyes see it.
ReplyDeleteHooray! We just had 8.6 mm over night and the music on my iron roof was the best lullaby ever.
Arija: That is the skinny one's hand rather than mine. It is always lovely to welcome the King Parrots back - and we quite often get family groups as well.
DeleteNo rain here - yet. It is forecast for tomorrow morning, when I wanted to watch a balloon ascension. Rain would be lovely though. And is needed.
Wow! Such gorgeous creatures and great pictures of them. I can't believe (again) how close they let you get, and I swear it seems like you must live in the Amazon forest.
ReplyDeleteRiot Kitty: They are hungry. And it is a privilege to be allowed to get so close. It would be very, very nice to have some of the Amazon's rainfall. Just some of it.
DeleteI think it is a sort of life changing event when one of 'the wild' condescend to connect with you.
ReplyDeletemybabyjohn/Delores: They always make me happy. And yes, a privilege...
Deleteso cute
ReplyDeleteAdam: They are, aren't they?
DeleteThey are really beautiful and curious creatures, aren't they? My friend Gene's parrot of 24 years died on Friday and he's heartbroken. He thought it would be a relief since he hasn't been well, but of course when you lose a companion you are devastated. Your pictures reminded me again of the loss. Life goes on...
ReplyDeleteDJan: Poor Gene. He must be hurting so badly. Yes, life does go on but that doesn't diminish the pain at all.
DeleteThose are so pretty! You are so lucky to be able to see such wonderfully colored birds.
ReplyDeleteTeresa: We do know how lucky we are to see them. Very lucky indeed.
DeleteCoincidence! Had king parrots in ourbirdfeeder first time ever this morning. They are so beautiful.
ReplyDeletelibrarygirl: I hope they keep coming back. I think they are enchanting birds.
DeleteWish they came to my garden though as we have several other parrots I should just be grateful. And I am. And we had some rain so the garden is happy. I'm enthusiastically gardening now the weather is cooler and I'm delighted to find bulbs popping up where I least expect them. This no doubt is a sign of my failing memory...
ReplyDeleteCarol: Appreciating the parrots you/I have doesn't stop us wishing for more. Quite natural greed I think.
DeleteBulbs move. I swear they do. Sometimes I have been very organised and marked where I have put them. And the next year they pop up feet away. I don't understand it, but have seen it often. We haven't (yet) had any much needed rain. I am weeding and we are squeezing additional bulbs into the ground but I am more than a little worried. We are sooooo dry.
They are beautiful birds, lovely bright colours, all the parrots are noisy and chatty around here.
ReplyDeleteMerle............
Merlesworld: Quite a lot of our parrots are quiet. The king parrots, and the crimson and eastern rosellas have chirps rather than the shrieks of the cockatoos, corellas and galahs.
DeleteI want to live in your garden. Between beautiful plants and flowers and gorgeous birds, it's a paradise back there. I can see why you spend the time to garden. I'm certainly enthralled by it. :)
ReplyDeleteLaura Eno: Obsessed. The garden, the birds, the cats, books, blogs...
DeleteAnd sadly the garden needs waaaay too much work to be a paradise.
EC: Obsessed is just the perfect word. I have to put in 'the dog' rather than 'the cats' since our old boy passed on but all the other obsessions are identical. Oh, and of course I have those three little children as well - mustn't forget them - as if they'd let me.
DeleteCarol: Since joining the blogosphere and discovering how many people share my obsessions I am starting to feel a bit 'normal'. Which is most unusual.
DeleteAnd they eat right out of your hand! Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteLynn: Not all of them by any means. This pair (and we recognise the male because of the dark markings on his beak will. Such a treat.
DeleteWhat lovely shots of these colourful birds. They seem so tame.
ReplyDeleteladyfi: Not tame. Hungry. And less wary than most of the wild birds.
DeleteYes! The babies! We too have been visited by the brilliant hued youngsters.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy they are :)
Vicki: Aren't they a delight? It doesn't matter how often we see them, I always take the time to look and admire - and smile. Rather a lot.
DeleteSo beautiful. They might come straight from the pages of a fairy tale.
ReplyDeleteJoanne Noragon: We are very lucky to have them. Very, very lucky.
DeleteOh, my dear, lovely as always.
ReplyDeleteSnowbrush: Aren't they a treat? At the moment they are coming around probably two out of every three days.
DeleteThe King Parrots are so beautiful. We have lots of them up here where I live, too.
ReplyDeleteLee: Aren't they stunning birds? Not brave, but beautiful.
DeleteI jealous- the birds there have such colorful feathers compared to the birds here.
ReplyDeleteI hope you and SP are well n happy =)
Pam;): You have rather a lot of birds which fill me with awe as well. And isn't it nice to be able to share them.
DeleteThey were feeding from your hand? You were so close!
ReplyDeleteI love 'your' birds!
Susan Kane: We are able to get very close to a lot of our birds, and the King Parrots will often eat from our hands. Bliss. We love them too.
DeleteThey are SO beautiful! Do they ever nip? They look quite used to you.
ReplyDeletejenny_o: We have never been nipped. They will use their talons (gently) to drag our hands into a more satisfactory position but we have never, ever been nibbled upon. Which is just as well because I think they could inflict some damage.
DeleteNow THAT must be something, to have them move your hands to their liking - to have them interact physically with you. I would love that! It's good they seem well-behaved too.
Deletejenny_o: The female will sometimes sit on our hands so that she has the best vantage spot. It is such a privilege.
DeleteHow exciting!!! They are so gorgeous, and all your photos are wonderful, but #3 is a real standout!! I love the lighting and the play of light and shadows on that beautiful bird, and his (her?) pose is delightful!
ReplyDeleteLaloofah: Red/orange head, so a male. Their beaks have a red tinge too. Stunning birds - always more than welcome.
DeleteCan they do a specific twitch or adjustment to produce their blue plumage? Is it a mating or other social element?
ReplyDeleteJohn Wiswell: Not as far as I know. The blue seems to be a secret, and I haven't seen it displayed in their interactions with each other. I will investigate further...
DeleteBreathtaking! And at the risk of sounding like a copycat of your other commenters, I'm astonished by the hand-feeding business. That is amazing.
ReplyDeleteIn our bird world, the chickadees did make a nest in our birdhouse (3rd year in a row!) and the babies have hatched, but not fledged. Adorable.
Ms. CrankyPants: Oooh chickadees. Magic. And yes, adorable.
DeleteI would do flip flops if I saw a bird like that in my tree.
ReplyDeleteStunning. Magical. OH, My!
What do the cats think?
Xxx LOVE.
My Inner Chick: I do rather a lot of happy dances when I see the birds - and, since we see a lot of birds that is a lot of happy dances...
DeleteLordy, how do you ever get anything else done when there are birds like that to see in your own back yard? They are gorgeous! This past weekend, we saw a pair of blue herons while walking, and I was so excited, I could hardly stand myself. I'd be in awe if I saw those gorgeous parrots in the wild.
ReplyDeleteSusan: We spend a LOT of time watching them. And other things can - and do, wait. It is such a treat to have these visitors. And every ten minutes or so we get others...
DeleteDear EC, why are they called King Parrots? Is it because of the vivid color or the size or the way they hold they heads? So much beauty. Is that your husband's hand holding out the seeds? Peace.
ReplyDeleteDee: I don't know why they are King Parrots. Perhaps it was Fred (or George or Sam) King who first discovered or named them.
DeleteAnd yes, it is the skinny one feeding them. We are so very lucky...
Dear EC, thanks for the reply. I've discovered often that I know no reason for why something is termed the way it is. I'm sure that if I did some research I could find out--but.......the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!!! Peace.
Delete