During our afternoon walk we noticed these New Holland Honeyeaters bathing in a fresh water soak at the lagoon end of the beach. About eight birds flew in and out, ducking down behind the rocks and popping up again, making the most of the wet conditions. It must have been a perfect little spa to attract so many! Once they noticed us they flew away. I don’t like to think that we spoilt their fun, because they breed and feed in the nectar laden native plants we grow along the bank of the dam. We see some of them every day, but have rarely seen so many all at once.
New Holland Honeyeaters bathing
This post is inspired by the honeyeaters and by Frizz, who is focussing on N this week. Do think about joining the alphabet challenge if you need a ‘new filter’ through which to view your photo library!
dadirridreaming 
Perhaps they that you were paparazzi or were feeling a bit shy….in any case a nice photo.
Let’s try that again….Perhaps they thought you were paparazzi or were feeling a bit shy…in any case a nice photo. 🙂
you are right, they are bit sensitive about being observed!
They look so busy. What a treat to see so many together.
busy is great word for them Colline!
What sweet little birds with their flashes of wattle on their wings! I like how they act and interact so naturally away from our gaze – I can hear them playing at the fish bowl but the moment I stand to look at them off they go – so brava, Christine – a great capture I know. 🙂
so thrilled you have them too … they are showy and fast aren’t they!
What a wonderful gathering! I’m sure they were enjoying splashing in the pond
they obviously loved that little spot … fresh water showering after rain must be quite unusual!
WOW- spectacular!
thanks Cindy … we were gob-smacked!
Thanks for sharing because it is a sight I would not see otherwise! 🙂
a rare sight for us too Ruth, even though they are around every day they are rarely in such a big group!
…io la prima volta che li vedo! che curiose creature…:-)
so happy to show you something new, they are pretty birds!
On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 2:09 PM, dadirridreaming wrote:
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Lovely little flashes of sunshine!
beautiful description Gilly … they are indeed!
On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 3:41 PM, dadirridreaming wrote:
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Their black-and-white markings are quite bold compared to most birds commonly seen around here. And I love the decurved bills (not to mention the word “decurved”, it sounds so classy).
decurved, impressive … we are off to bookclub tonight and the book was “The Birdwatcher” …. S is dressed up as a twitcher … so I must remember that word to bandy about!
hi Christine,
for sure New Holland is as inspiring as Old Holland.
yes they are quite impressive!
Fascinating capture, Christine!
I was so pleased that one of the photos turned out … it was hard to see, dull light, quite a distance … but it worked …
They are beautiful Christine! How fortunate to have stumbled upon so many together.
such good fortune, a rare treat 🙂
Great shot, you did well to some focus, they seem to move very quickly. Beautiful birds. I wonder if the name comes from New Holland? Certainly not European Holland. Never knew such a bird existed. Well done and that’s for sharing…
I think Australia was called New Holland at some stage (in the 1600’s) … that is where the name comes from 🙂 It was a hard photo to capture, I was lucky to get one good one …
Lovely photo Christine. Birds are so difficult to catch. Now to start thinking about “O”…