Bird Paradise

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We woke at 7am today, with lots of birds calling all around us. I opened the blind and saw some small parrots in a tree nearby. I quickly got dressed and went out to have a look (and take photos, of course!). The ones I’d first seen were gone but there was a large group of bigger parrots over near the pool. They were similar to Red Shouldered Parrots but had red right across the wing when flying (not in my book). I walked over towards the paddock next door and could see (and hear!) hundreds of chattering Apostle Birds; a load of Galahs and Red-Collared Lorikeets; some Crested Pigeons and Cockatiels; Magpie Larks; moaning Crows; 5 Black Kites sitting in trees waiting for the thermals to start; and a large group of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos (they are really large – even from a distance). Then I spotted the smaller parrots zooming in again. It was very hard to see detail against the sun, but they had very long tails and I saw pale pink around the face and neck area. I think they may be Princess Parrots. I even found a Sacred Kingfisher later, sitting on a wire.

After breakfast, the Apostle Birds came looking for some bread another lady had thrown out before she left. It didn’t last long and they came over to us looking for more. They know where the food is! We like them and I had some stale bread so we sat outside and fed them the crusts. They chatter non-stop and are funny to watch as they are very sociable and often cuddle up together on branches or groom each other. They all rush to get the food but don’t try to steal it once it is in another bird’s beak. There were even some feeding what we assumed were juveniles, although they were as big as the adults and were taking the food themselves from the ground. We had a lovely time surrounded by the cheeky things until the bread ran out and they went in search of water from the sprinklers that had just come on.

Soon after that, the mechanic finished with the other breakdown and came over to look at our van. He agreed with Barry’s assessment of the problem and also couldn’t get the bolts undone, even with the rattle gun, so he cut them off with an angle grinder. He said he had someone in Darwin who could make new parts and he was going there tomorrow and would be back on Wednesday. It looks like we’ll be here for another few nights. It isn’t a hardship, though, as the wildlife is amazing, we’re in the shade and have electricity for the air-con and a small shop if I run out of bread and milk, and a pool. We can have a rest and I can try and catch up on the blog from last month. Lovely!

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Photos

A Sacred Kingfisher
When I was taking photos of the parrots, I noticed this bird further away sitting on the wire. I took the shot but didn't know what it was until I zoomed in later. What a surprise!

Red-Shouldered Parrots
A large group of these lovely birds come down to feed each morning on the fruit in native trees in the Hiway Inn grounds. They like to sit up high with an unobstructed view so they strip the leaves from the topmost branches and sit like statues.

Free For All at the Pig Pen
The pig pen in the paddock next door has a leaking tap which has created a muddy puddle. Lots of birds come down to drink from it. The Lorikeets prefer it straight from the tap but the Galahs are not so picky.

Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos
This is the biggest group of these birds I've seen. They come down into the trees around the paddock to feed or just sit and look around, as these are doing. They are much bigger than the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos we're used to.

A Small Group of the Red-Collared Lorikeets
It's feeding time and there must be some grass seed here. They are never still, though, and one or other is always taking fright and lifting off (or deciding the food looks better on the other side).

A Mural on the Side of a Cabin Block
They must be proud of this mural as it is spotlighted at night. It covers the whole side of the building right near where the parrots like to feed.