There are tuis visiting our kowhai tree in the back yard. They love to feed on the nectar from the hanging yellow kowhai blossoms. We try to sneak up on the birds with our cameras in hand. My little pocket sized Fuji Finepix with a lowly 5x zoom is no match for Robin’s Olympus with a 26x zoom, so no prizes for guessing who took these photos.
Tuis appear to be black at a distance, but their feathers are iridescent dark green, with purple and bronze shadings. They have a ring of fine white feathers which curl around the back of the neck like fine lace. Their most distinctive feature is the double tuft of white feathers at the throat, the reason the early settlers to New Zealand called them “Parson Birds”. Their song ranges from bell like notes, to chuckles, clicks and squeaks and they are known to be good mimics.
The lawn underneath the tree is covered in yellow as the discarded petals have fallen down. We have seen a nest in an adjacent tree, so maybe the birds are busy with nesting duties. A pair usually lay three or four eggs, and are highly territorial, keeping other birds away from their nest sites. Let’s hope that a new generation of babies are living in our garden.
Petals on the lawn
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