Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Sunday 12 January 2014

Sunday Selections #154

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.   I am returning to an on-going obsession this week.  Yes, birds.  Corellas.  Again.  I spend a LOT of time each day watching the birds.  And sweeping up after them too.
As always, click to embiggen.  I do love their eyeshadow.  They wear that colour better than most people.







128 comments:

  1. You have the most beautiful birds there in Oz!!

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    1. fishducky: Some of our birds are indeed stunning, but there are beautiful birds world wide. Hummingbirds, cardinals, jays, raptors (and rather a lot more) fill me with envy on a regular basis.

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  2. Beautiful birds indeed. :)

    Happy Sunday to you!!

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    1. LL Cool Joe: They are always welcome here. Happy Saturday to you - and Sunday to follow.

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  3. It always amazes me how the same species of birds can live in vastly different climates, from Tasmania to well into Queensland. They look a bit fluffed up against the cold.

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    1. Andrew: And not only survive in vastly different climates, but thrive. The corellas here were fluffed to allow a little air through their feathers - it was hot when I took them. But I also have shots of them fluffed against the cold.

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  4. You have the most incredible birds.

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    1. Lisa (aka Mollie's mom): I am very grateful each time they visit.

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  5. I love the shot of the pair of them side by side looking all coy as though you caught them snogging. They almost look like they are in love.

    It's lovely when they come individually or in pairs. I think it's only when they come around in huge flocks that they are so very noisy.

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    1. Marie: Luckily we rarely get more than a dozen at once - and that can be noisy. They compete with the cockatoos and shriek at each other. Always welcome though.
      While it is probably anthromorphism, I thought that couple seemed very cosy together too.

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    2. Ahh... that prehistoric screech. I think they sound like I'd imagine a pterosaurs would sound. I get those same goosebumps when I hear that screech as when I hear the primal howl of the wolves in winter. We don't have noisy birds like that here. It's all quiet and civilised :-)

      I'm bad with anthromorphism, too. I'm always imagining scenarios and attributing human emotions and motives to animals I observe. No wonder the dog looks at me through narrowed eyes as though I'm a lunatic.

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    3. Marie: I knew I had it bad when I found myself trying to reason with a cat. Who definitely looked at me as if I was/am an idiot.

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  6. Beautiful plumage, well displayed.

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    1. Joanne Noragon: I often think that they know exactly how beautiful they are, and pose to display their 'best side'.

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  7. I would certainly join you in watching these beautiful birds. They are magnificent, and what a difference to the ones we have here in California. Don't get me wrong, I dearly love them, but your birds are so majestic and tropical (in my eyes).

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    1. Carola Bartz: Quite a lot of people here don't like them. They are noisy, and can be destructive. I never tire of them, but would happily watch rather a lot of 'your' birds too.

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  8. They are definitely beautiful birds. I would watch them too, if I had anything like these stunners to watch. As it is, I spend time watching crows, who are nothing if not smart critters. :-)

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    1. DJan: I have a huge soft spot for crows. They are very, very intelligent, and devoted to their families. We have an adult male who visits from time to time. He carefully checks out the area, and the food. When he is satisfied that it is safe, he calls his family in. And watches them carefully as they eat.

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  9. Mmm, yes, what lovely eye-make up. Bird-watching is one of the coolest things to do, isn't it?

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    1. Guyana-Gyal: I never tire of it. I spend a LOT of time each day, revelling in the beauty, their calls, their antics...

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  10. What beauties they are. I don't think I'll start wearing that eye shadow though...it might raise a few eyebrows among the general populace!

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    1. Lee: You could start a new trend... And nobody ever said that the general populace had taste.

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  11. They are spectacular birds, EC. I love the eyeshodow with the touch of pink and it may be just the lighting, but the beak looks a little bluish as well. We should look so good all made up like that :) Hope you are doing well ... Just ran across a picture of Rudyard Kiplings "Elephant Child" ... thought of you immediately. I am about to start a new book, that I think you would like. When I am finished with it, I will let you know if it is as good as it is supposed to be ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. Andrea: Their beaks are a blueish grey, toning beautifully. And there is soft yellow in their undercarriage as well. I do love them.
      And I am looking forward to hearing about your book...
      The skinny one gave me a card with the Elephant's Child on it a few years ago. I treasure it.

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  12. They are great company you never feel alone if you have birds around.
    Merle..............

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    1. Merlesworld: They are aren't they? And better company that a lot of people.

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  13. They look so clean and so healthy.

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    1. Delores: They do don't they? Occasionally we see them with grubby feathers, but it has been so dry here they can't possibly get muddy.

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  14. They're beautiful, and you're absolutely right about their eye shadow. Much better-looking on them than on people. (At least on THIS people...) We have some pictures taken in the '70s where I was wearing gobs of blue eye shadow at a party. What WAS I thinking?

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    1. Susan: In my make-up wearing days (now long gone) I applied it with a very generous spatula. I don't think photos survive. I hope they didn't.

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  15. Gorgeous birds. I do wish we had a greater variety of birds here.

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    1. Alexia: I would love to see your destructive enchanting keas though. And am often grateful that our cockatoos don't have their intelligence. Smart yes, but not kea smart.

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  16. I love your Little Corellas. Once upon a time I reared one from a naked chick and let him return to nature when he felt the urge in his second spring. If I had call out to him when he called me, he would have stayed but I was a good mummy and let him go.

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    1. Arija: You were a very, very good mummy. I hope he lived long and happily in the wild - and reproduced many times.

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  17. Wow, those are amazing! And I must agree--they wear their eye colors much better than most people :)

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  18. Sensational, especially the two together

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    1. Andrew Maclaren-Scott: They looked so happy together. And made me happy.

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  19. Oh wow, these birds are beautiful! Loved your comment about the eye shadow, very true. :D

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    1. Julie Flanders: They rock that colour so much better than we do.

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  20. Beautiful!! They do wear their natural colours and plumage so very well.

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    1. Vicki: Don't they? And I am pretty certain that they know just how beautiful they are.

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  21. Oh how beautiful. I agree about the eyeshadow. My husband and I were making plans today to go to a bird sanctuary in the Spring. i wish I knew the names of birds like you do. They sure are fascinating. i laughed when I saw the picture of the bird's back as if he's being camera shy. So cute.

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    1. Myrna R.: It seems only polite to know the names of the birds who visit. Mind you, I have not one but two bird books in the bookcase by the door, and refer to them regularly. I hope you and your husband have a wonderful time at the bird sanctuary. And am sure you will.

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  22. Such beautiful birds and great photos. I would be thrilled for them to come and visit my garden :)

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    1. DeniseinVA: They arrive at first light, and are one of the last to leave at the end of the day. It is midday and hot now, so they are absent, but they will be back in the late afternoon. When there will be more seed and an apple for them.

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  23. I never knew birds like those existed beyond Hawaii or Africa. Suddenly I feel deprived by not living in Australia.

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    1. lotta joy: There are birds all over the world I would love to see. Many of ours are pretty, most (including corellas) have vile voices.

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  24. Of all your birds, I love the corellas the most. They have an imperious set of the head, look like angels, tho I suspect they are not.

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    1. Susan Kane: They are always welcome visitors. Bullies, but welcome.

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  25. They're so pretty. I almost never see the white ones around here.

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  26. I've just read what you wrote to DJan about crows, I had no idea they did that. It's wonderful.

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    1. River: Their cleverness doesn't stop there. They apparently not only recognise someone who has tried to hurt them, they teach their children and pass it on. Amazing. And probably (sadly) necessary.

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    1. Karen: They are. Always entertaining. Always a joy.

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  28. Oh how beautiful they are!! We occasionally have a small flock of corellas fly over (I think they are those with the short beak).
    Many, many years ago we had one as a pet (never caged) and I really loved that bird and missed him when one day he flew away, never to return.

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    1. Mimsie: They are gorgeous, and I could well understand 'your' corella claiming your heart. I hope he/she flew away to start a family.

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  29. I could sit there and look at your birds all day! So many beautiful colors!

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    1. Teresa: I do spend a LOT of time each day just watching the birds. Wasted time? Not in my book.

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  30. They are truly spectacular but truly there is not a bird that does not have a strength and beauty all its own. Even those some would call ugly. My grandparents taught me to gaze at all birds in amazement and I do that from tiny hummingbirds to migrating bald eagles who devour my guinea fowl on their way through our area.

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    1. Grannie Annie: I like the way your grandparents thought. All birds are feathered enchantment in my eyes.

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  31. They look cuddly, like balls of cotton wool with sharp beaks and fetching make-up. I suspect they aren't very cuddly at all. Great photos.

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    1. All Consuming: Probably not cuddly no. Great disguise though. Some people I know look considerably 'softer' than they are...

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  32. Stunning.
    Magical.
    Heavenly.
    I would flip out if I saw one of these creatures in my tree!

    Xxxxx LOVE from MN.

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    1. My Inner Chick: They are all of those things - and very, very welcome daily visitors.

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  33. Once again, I cannot imagine what it would be like to look out and see such beautifully painted birds.... Thank you for sharing

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    1. Sherri: It is a daily delight. It is too hot at the moment, but they were here early and will be back later.

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  34. I was missing your Sunday Selections during my hibernation. Beautiful photos. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. A Cuban in London: What a lovely thing to say. Thank you.

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  35. Definitely a better color on birds than people! There was a book in the late 80s called "Blue Eyeshadow Should be Illegal." Very neat photos.

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    1. Riot Kitty: I hadn't come across that book - but wouldn't argue. At all.

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  36. If I had birds like that in my back yard, I'd be spending hours watching them too! Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos.

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    1. Debora: I do spend hours watching them. Hours and hours. And don't begrudge any of it.

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  37. It's still sunny there. I was expecting the dregs of fall to make everything limp and finished for the summer. Glad everything is still hanging to it's color...including the birds. I hope you're well and not trying to do to much yard work.

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    1. barbfroman: It is high and burning summer here. Autumn is months away and will be greeted with cries of delight when it arrives. By me anyway. At the moment the garden is turning into crispy critters. We need rain, and a cessation of the heat wave.

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  38. At that resolution they look so surprised to see me. Stately critters, aren't they? Nice posture and all.

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    1. John Wiswell: They are birds of multiple personality. They can be stately, and they can be vandals. And bully boys. There is no dignity when they are dragging other birds across the feeder by the tail feathers. Which I will have to try and capture.

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  39. What beautiful eyes! And eye shadow. :) They are just lovely.

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    1. Lynn: Neither their voices nor the characters are lovely - but I don't care. I love them anyway.

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  40. *sigh* I don't even know what day it is anymore...
    I LOVE your birds! I can't even imagine what it must be like to look outside your windows each day. :)

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    1. River Fairchild: Just to further confuse the matter, it is Tuesday morning here. A hot Tuesday morning.
      And the birds go some way to keeping me sane(ish).

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  41. The birds are lovely (as always).

    I am wearing blue eyeshadow at this very moment and my husband *assured* me before I left the house that I did not look like a member of ABBA. Not entirely sure I believe him. (HEY! What are those people over there laughing at??)

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    1. Ms. CrankyPants: Do you have pink with your blue too? And do you apply it as lavishly as the corellas? And no, I wouldn't never compare you to ABBA either. I have more sense (and less courage).

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    2. Hmmm, I WAS wearing a pink satin jacket...

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    3. Ms. CrankyPants: Quilted? With sparkles?

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  42. Nice choices for sunday. Your birds are beautiful.

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    1. Lady Lilith: Thank you. And their heads are firmly on their shoulders. No serial killers here.

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  43. I do love those birds. Birds fascinate me. I like to go out and watch them fly around. Thankfully, I don't have to clean up after them. My human, that's another story. Thanks again for another pictorial delight.

    Pawsitive wishes,

    Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!

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    1. klahanie: Oh Penny. Does Gary make you clean up after him? That is not fair. Not kind. Speak ruffly to him.

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  44. I love their eyeshadow, too! Gorgeous.

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    1. Carol Kilgore: Oh to look that good with make-up - or without it.

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  45. Well they are beauties, no doubt about it!! I'm visiting today because Susan (Contemplative Cat) said you've got a great place to come and see. She was right, of course. :) Happy rest of the week to you!!

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    1. mail4rosey: Welcome, thank you and a great week to you too.

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  46. Oh my goodness, what gorgeous birds and photos! Their feathers are just so fluffy, reminds me of snow. Hope your holidays were fabulous!

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    1. Raquel Somatra: They are wonderful birds aren't they? And fluff even more in cold weather.

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  47. What striking beings!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    > < } } ( ° >

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    1. Cloudia: Thank you - I hope you are feeling better.

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  48. Great eye shadow and fabulous shots!

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  49. beautiful bird. and man, you have a great camera to catch all that great detail on them!

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    1. Tammy Theriault: Thank you. It is a point and shoot and has been very good to me.

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  50. I'm not a big bird person (no Sesame St. pun intended!!) but you obviously are blessed to have so many feathered visitors stop by - so that's aweome :)

    PS... great question you posed on my Hair Post... and I'm not sure I'd go back to Dublin in 1989.... perhaps to guide me in the making of better decisions, but that would be about it :)

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    1. Mark Koopmans: I am a bird obsessionist. But yes, very lucky in the numbers of avian visitors. Regular food doesn't hurt either.
      I am very glad to hear that you don't regret leaving Dublin. Regrets are always a sadness. And which of us wouldn't like a decision guide...

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  51. I love how the birds are sitting so closely together in the last two photos :)

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    1. jenny_o: They are frequently snuggled like that. Which is lovely. And very aggressive to other species. Tail pulling, beak bashing, wing flapping and screeching...

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    2. Well, I wasn't expecting THAT bit of balancing information!!

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    3. jenny_o: They are very selective/disriminating/prejudiced about where their affections lie.

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  52. Spectacular eye for sure, and fluff. Do the birds too have their drama? I suspect so, watching the crows, who are scary smart, so smart and organized, I would never ever cross the crows.

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    1. Strayer: They most definitely do have their dramas. None of the birds that visit us are major predators, but there is lots of jostling for position in the heirachy. It gives me a whole new image for 'pecking order'. And crows are so smart that if you do them wrong they will remember you - and teach their children.

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  53. Dear EC, having followed your blog now for over two years, I have come to appreciate the beauty and individuality of birds species more than ever. Thank you for pointing out the "eye shadow"! So distinctive.

    I've been away from blogging for several weeks, so I've missed all your postings during that time. If you have any favorites you'd like me to read, please let me know. Peace.

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    1. Dee: Welcome back. I hope your break was productive and rejuvenating. Nothing leaps to mind in the 'exceptional posts' front. You are always welcome whenever or wherever you visit.

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  54. You are tight. I know an old lady who still wears blue eyeshadow.
    She should leave it to the birds.

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    1. Friko: Some people do wear blue eye shadow better than others. But not as well as the corellas.

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  55. Amazing how beautiful these birds are

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  56. Such little charmers! Lovely photos of them. They don't come to my garden though they did ravage my mother's only an hour away. I love all parrots and am quite envious of these in your garden. Still, I know how lucky I am to have black cockatoos so I can't complain.

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    1. Carol: They are cheeky charmers. But yes, I am envious of some of your birds. And Dinahmow's too.

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