Tag: sunbird

Garden friends spotted in my garden

Post author By Barbara
Post date May 12, 2012
10 Comments on Garden friends spotted in my garden

I love walking through my garden, but when I stop and bend down, I see so much more! I have so many active friends that work and play in my garden. Let me introduce some of them to you.

My sunbirds are back and enjoying the Pineapple Sage bush – they frequent this bush, so my next photograph shoot will hopefully catch the splendid male.

Lots of Praying Mantis, I am happy to say.

This is an unusually looking one!

My bees are always welcome – we need to be kind to the bees!

My favourite of all – the chameleon!! Fat and happy – I think she is pregnant! What do you think?

This sign keeps reminding me of my best friend who shares my garden with me and cares when I least feel like it and always gives me an encouraging word. AND the happy trips to the nursery – thanks my buddy!

Happy Gardening xxxx

Tags bee, chameleon, praying mantis, sunbird

Bugs & Pests Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

A partly reclaimed view

In my list of Things to Do in the Garden in 2012 I mentioned that I want to prune some trees in order to reclaim a portion of mountain view. In the heat of summer we have managed to get that done and I am happy with the result.

This is a small corner view as seen from one corner of the entertainment area of our back terrace. It’s a place I love to while away a hot summers day either with a good book or good company. It’s a marvellous spot as the air is always full of bird song, its private and peaceful and the views of the garden and surrounds are lovely.

[one_half]Before: Mountain hidden behind trees[/one_half]

[one_half_last]After: Trees tidied and removed[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Now we can see the mountain again[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And … birds on the wire[/one_half_last]

[one_half]In the early evening …[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And a zoomed out view[/one_half_last]

I am happy with the result, I think it looks a whole lot better. I hope you approve!

In other news …the little sunbird that visits me every day almost has all his markings now! (I first wrote about him here when he was a juvenile). Isn’t he gorgeous? He comes every day just after five and does a little show for me in the tree. Then he goes back to the rest of his family who hang out on the other side of the tree, overlooking my neighbour’s garden. It’s been lovely, I’ve watched him mature over the last three weeks.

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags birds, malachite sunbird, sunbird

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

Sunbird in the Hibiscus

I’ve been going on about how I’m trying to make my garden more hospitable to birds. I’ve been providing water in the form of bird baths and nectar feeders, I have a small bird house on which I leave seeds and pieces of fruit which they are eating and am researching which plants to get (that I don’t already have) to attract different birds to my garden.

Today I had a brief interlude with a Witoogie and then joy of joys, what appears to be a juvenile sunbird gave me a five minute show and allowed me to take a few photographs. There were quite a few of them in the tree but only this one was in photographing distance – How cute is this bird?

The interesting chest markings make me think its an immature sunbird. It hasn’t got the typical bright colouring of a sunbird yet – it still has some downy feathers (which you can see more clearly if you click to enlarge the sixth photo below) and then it has these red blotches on its chest, which make me think its still immature and developing its markings? I really have no idea, I’m assuming this of course.

[one_half]Sunbird lands on the branch[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Settling down on the branch[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Looking around ….[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Then looking upwards …[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Another look around[/one_half]

[one_half_last]and then it took off again[/one_half_last]

And then the Witoogies

Then I had brief encounter with a Witoogie – they love to eat aphids and I seem to supply those in abundance so have lots of visits from these cuties. One on the Hibiscus and then later, two in the front garden.

[one_half]Witoogie in the Hibiscus[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Poking around for what?[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Uh oh, he spotted me![/one_half]

[one_half_last]I see the fruit needs replenishing[/one_half_last]

[one_half]First there is one …[/one_half]

[one_half_last]and then there were two[/one_half_last]

This info on Sunbirds from Wikipedia:
The sunbirds and spiderhunters are a family, Nectariniidae, of very small passerine birds. There are 132 species in 15 genera. The family is distributed throughout Africa, southern Asia and just reaches northern Australia. Most sunbirds feed largely on nectar, but also take insects and spiders, especially when feeding young. Flower tubes that bar access to nectar because of their shape, are simply punctured at the base near the nectaries. Fruit is also part of the diet of some species. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings.

The sunbirds have counterparts in two very distantly related groups: the hummingbirds of the Americas and the honeyeaters of Australia. The resemblances are due to convergent evolution brought about by a similar nectar-feeding lifestyle. Some sunbird species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags birds, malachite sunbird, sunbird

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

First visitors to the new Bird Feeder

Post author By Christine
Post date September 26, 2011
11 Comments on First visitors to the new Bird Feeder

I hung the new bird feeder on Saturday after following the instructions that came with it and on Sunday I saw my first bird – although fleeting. I peeped through the window wondering whether any birds had been and there was one. He darted off very quickly though. Since then, I’ve looked a few times and believe it or not, every time I’ve seen a little visitor! What Joy!

This afternoon I sat for a few moments (camera in hand) hopeful that I might get a photo and three arrived at once, a beautiful Sunbird that was chased away by this Witoogie. Witoogie then spent a few minutes sitting, drinking, looking around, drinking again and then off he went. (Click the photos to see the large versions).

Todays Visitor

[one_half]Witoogie arrives[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Witoogie drinks[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Witoogie looks straight at me[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And looking for his buddies[/one_half_last]

How cute was that?

The bird feeder came with instructions to add red food colouring the first time as it attracts the birds to the new feeder. Once your feeding station “becomes known” by the birds, you stop using the food colouring.

The feeder comes with two different “nozzles”. The short one (which I have on mine now) is for short-beaked birds. The longer one is for sunbirds and long beaked birds. As I witnessed, some of the short-beaked birds are bullies and will dominate the feeder so the answer is to have two – one for the Sunbirds and one for the others.

Now that I know it works and that the birds will use it I will get another.

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags bird bath, bird nest, birds, sunbird

Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Sunbird in my garden

I finally had the opportunity to get photos of my local sunbird. The couple come back every year and nest in the same tree. He is a malachite green – it also looks blue sometimes in the light! He is a noisy bird and fights off all possible intruders – the local yellow weaver and the fiskal shrike (butcher bird). He chases them all around the garden, so I am assuming that there are baby birds. I also got a photo of the female, who is very scarse. They love my big protea bush in the front garden.

[one_half]Male[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Female[/one_half_last]

[one_half]He knows he is beautiful[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Preening and cleaning[/one_half_last]

The sunbirds and spiderhunters are a family, Nectariniidae, of very small passerine birds. The family is distributed throughout Africa, southern Asia and just reaches northern Australia. Most sunbirds feed largely on nectar, but also take insects and spiders, especially when feeding young. Fruit is also part of the diet of some species. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings.

[one_half][/one_half]

[one_half_last][/one_half_last]

[one_half][/one_half]

[one_half_last][/one_half_last]

I would be interested to know what an immature sunbird looks like. I am keen to see the new family and get a shot of the new addition. I’ll keep you posted.

I hope you enjoyed the photos xxx

Tags malachite sunbird, Nectariniidae, sunbird