On my way home from Daisy Hill, I decided to swing by the local park where I hoped the Rainbow Bee-eaters were going to be there, and play nice with me. Guess I got lucky!
These guys are so so cute! I saw them for the first time last year, and instantly fell in love.
First photo is probably my favourite - while they're perched, their whole body gets into their call, with their tail fanning right out.
Wow! You sure did get lucky. They're gorgeous...
...and way better shots than I've ever taken of them.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Great shots Windshear, they are a very pretty bird.
Beautiful!!
Well done getting such clear photos
I love, love, love the fourth photo
Oh you lucky duck you! Such a spectacular bird! Hard to pick a favourite, but number six is just gorgeous - all the colours just show so individually brilliantly in that one - bit of soft afternoon light on him too perhaps? Just beautiful! windshear!
West Coast Tasmania
double post
West Coast Tasmania
Thanks guys. :)
They're definitely one of my favourite little birds, and I'm lucky enough to have a whole heap of them nesting in the next suburb over. :) Although one particular group's choice of a dog-walking/offleash area as a nesting spot is... curious.
Love your photos they are my favourite little birds. I discovered them when we went to Mt Surprise, can't wait to go back and take more photos of them. I particularly loved the way that they grouped together, don't know if they are babies or if it is normal behaviour. I have attached a photo to show what I mean. this photo was taken just after sunrise when it was a bit cool. they would group together in 3s, 4s and up to 8 together on a branch
Diane
Wow Di!
That's really quite impressive.
I've only ever seen them in pairs, or a few spread out in a tree. They do look as though they've fluffed themselves out quite a bit, so maybe it was keeping themselves warm.
I can imagine the conversation...
"You see a bee?"
"Nope. Do you see a bee?"
"Nope"
*crickets chirping* *tumbleweed rolls past*
"Do you see a bee?"
On a side-note, there is a bird called the European Bee-eater, which is a spectacular bird in its own right. :)
(from Wikipedia)
wow that is a brilliant shot - where do they come from?
diane
Europe & Asia I think. One of the guys I follow on deviantart is from Bulgaria, and he often takes photos of them.
I suppose this should have occurred to me before now, but there are quite a variety of bee-eaters (mostly in europe, asia and africa). But we only get the Rainbow ones here.
I guess lucky us as they are such colourful little guys - where I took the photos at Mt Surprise there were 100s of them at dawn and shortly after, during the day I did not see them. Have attached another photo which shows a group being joined by another on the branch as I said they just seem to love being close to each other
Diane
Lovely! :)
The groups I've observed are much less social. Always interesting to hear other observations.