Saturday, September 13, 2008

Photos of Eastern Rosella Parrots

Huh? Like, where the heck is the name Sarah Palin in the title of this post???? Well, I was gonna call this post SARAH PALIN SCREENSAVER (since LOTS of folks are looking for one via google searches), but I decided to wait till I've actually made a Sarah Palin Screensaver. Which I will be doing.

Just thought y'all might want a break...

Yesterday we went bushwalking. Saw loads of koalas (hence the post yesterday of a koala I named Sarah Palin in a tree with her baby), and an uncountable number of birds of many varieties. Lots of good pics, but we'll start with...

Eastern rosella parrots!

They nest in the hollows of older (or dead) gum trees. Fortunately, Australia has a rather large number of gum trees so there's plenty to choose from. I think this pair was doing a bunch of spring cleaning as the entire inside of this dead gum tree is hollow and they were going in and out every opening while chattering consantly.

This first pic is just one of them, at a huge opening around 15 feet up (tree was perhaps 18 feet high).
one eastern rosella parrot

This next one has both of the rosella's in it, you'll see the tail of one of them sticking out about middle left. Also notice that you can see straight through the tree in three places. Old gums get hollow!
one and a half eastern rosella parrots

The last shot has both of them, but neither of them are facing the camera, damn! Why did I inculde this one? When you see the really awesome lens flare you'll know why! Absolutely NO touching up or photoshopping was done to this pic:
two eastern rosella parrots with lens flare


And remember folks: Don't worry, bee happy :)
bee happy

I'm off for the day. Winter just might finally be over! It's 73 F in the shade and 95 F in the sun here at the ole homestead. Pool water temp is 70 F so there's a good chance I'll be getting wet today when it starts to get warm this afternoon.

Lot's of planting to do, tomatoes and sunflowers. Just to let you know, the self-seeding winter sunflowers are doing quite well but I don't think any of them will get over a meter high. I'm hoping for 2 meters off the ones I'll be planting today. Also got a lot more tomato plants this year so I'll be hoping for at least 200. Hmmmm, still got a jar of last years pickled green ones...

And I'm sure everyone will be happy to know that the grape vines are already sprouting this season's leaves so they made it through our icy-cold winter with no worries. I know that'll set your minds at rest...

5 comments:

Jim and Heather on Meerkat said...

What about kookaburas? Didn't that song go "Kookabura sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he".
Nice of the kookabura to let the rosella's have his tree...

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Kookies are very cool birds! I love listening to them laughing as I'm out bushwalking. Never heard that song though... might be before even my time! I've got some great pics of em from earlier outtings, I'll have to post some of them.

Fizzgig said...

those are pretty birds, very different!

Note to self. visit australia in the winter. I'd die of heatstroke just from the winter temps!

Jim and Heather on Meerkat said...

Well you haven't lived until you have heard that song...
"Kookabura sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he, laugh kookabura laugh, gay as his life must be" or some lame lyrics like that. Now that song will be stuck in my head for the next week...

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Mon: when I got up this morning it was 42 F... it's still winter! Visit in the summer, trust me.

Heather: Doncha just hate it when a song gets stuck on repeat? Bleh. :)