I took it for a faery vision Of some gay creatures of the element,
That in the colours of the rainbow live, And play i’ th’ plighted clouds. – John Milton
Rainbow Lorikeet in Banksia integrifolia, Bingie
The banksias are flowering, hoards of Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus swoop and screech through the sky moving from tree to tree. Nectar feeders, they call to each other as they advance through the flowering trees, stopping in small groups to feast on the newly opened banksia flowers. No sooner do I have a bird in focus than it is gone … but right at the end of our walk along the Bingie Dreaming Track this morning I found one bird spending it’s time lower down in a tree just off the path. If they are too high, all I get is silhouettes against the bright cloudy sky. So here is a pretty photo of an aggressive noisy little parrot, well known over much of Australia, and a pest to fruit growers in some places. Fortunately they do not come into our garden, leaving that for much better tempered birds such as the King Parrots.
Related posts:
https://dadirridreaming.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/rainbow-lorikeet/
https://dadirridreaming.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/morning-walk/
dadirridreaming 
Christine, this is a gorgeous composition! The yellow flowers add so much. The bird is so beautiful.
just so lucky he came towards me … they are almost impossible to capture because they move so fast!
Reblogged this on WILD ANIMAL REMOVAL SERVICES and commented:
Excellent pic of the Rainbow Lorikeet!!!
Lovely 🙂 We saw a few Rainbow Lorikeets feasting in a yellow banksia last week, and I remarked to the G.O. how the bright native combination appealed to me in a Jenny Kee style Australian icon way 🙂
and remember Ken Done? … we do have a festival of colour here 🙂
I remember Ken Done!
was that the eighties, no maybe the nineties?
I think the 80’s were his heyday…The Powerhouse Museum staged a major retrospective of Done’s work in 1994. There was a Ken Done store in The Rocks until a few years ago, but now apparently there is a Ken Done Museum.
Jenny Kee, as far as fashion goes, similarly I think was 80’s.
yes it all makes sense … they were bright days!
Isn’t it marvelous how for some a raucous vividly colored creature like this can be a ‘pest’ and for others a thing of wonder! Then, I’m not a fruit farmer in Rainbow Lorikeet territory! I imagine it’s a bit like the poor farmers here who battle the monkeys and elephants to bring their crops in. On a cheerier note, congratulations on the capture, I know how difficult that can be. Loved seeing fresh flowers and dried banksia-men … 🙂
reminders of australia … i can imagine how elephants and monkeys might try the patience of farmers in Sri Lanka … both clever agile creatures with a taste for good food!
The Lorikeets are beautiful birds! The only way I’ve had experience with them is in an aviary at our local marine aquarium. We purchase a little cup of nectar and they will land on us and drink. It’s a thrill! I can’t imagine what it would be to have these birds in my natural landscape! 🙂
i have been hearing them all day … flying around the national park screeching .. and then i was closer to town and the moruya river where they are feeding on gum blossom … more clouds of raucous birds!
I remember your lorikeet photos before – not sure if they were rainbows? but this one is the best, well captured Christine and thanks for sharing it. The National Parks link is great too. Have a good week my lovely!
and you too dear gilly … it was almost exactly a year ago when i posted a rainbow lorikeet photo … so they are here again in droves for the flowering banksias … although all year there are some, this must be the best time!
This is a very well caught photo. I love our colourful lorikeets. I just recently found out that they mate for life. If you are ever over on the Goldcoast go to Burleigh Beach just at dusk they come in their thousands to roost and the sound is overwhelming. But don’t walk under the Norfolk Pines they roost in…
i can imagine that might be messy! i was just up there in march, but did not see or hear them, we ate dinner one night at burleigh … but the rest of the time i was at bond university … not as nice 🙂
BEAUTIFUL! and there are hoards of them. My birdwatching husband would be ecstatic!
we are so lucky to have rich birdlife here, and we did plant a lot of bird attracting trees and shrubs 🙂
That is a perfect capture! It’s like the bird was posting for you, Christine 🙂 Gorgeous colors!
for a millisecond amy … i was lucky my shutter opened just then!
You’ve got a great camera, a good eye and obviously very fast. That photo is brilliant.
What a great place for a morning walk. That bird is so beautiful and the foliage is so lush.
thanks rosie! you say the nicest things … it takes me a while to catch a good shot 🙂
Terrific shot Christine….beautifully composed! How wonderful to have such lovely creatures visit you everyday 🙂