Sibi quisque habeant quod suum est.
Also at backyard_birds Apologies for any cross postings.
We have had some Winter rain at last in Western Australia, and a storm knocked down the last of the fruit from my fruit trees. It has provided a feast of insects for this little willy wagtail - another one of our great bird "characters".
About the size of a robin - perhaps a bit larger, they are common right across Australia. I still find their appearance in the garden a source of excitement because they will interact happily with humans and always leave you with an anecdote or two to share with others. When I knelt down to do some weeding in the garden in hot weather a few months ago, I had one hop into my shadow to take advantage of the shade. He kept hopping into my shadow as I moved and chatted away for about twenty minutes.
They are totally fearless little chaps and will take on birds three times their size. Local Aboriginal people call them "chitta chitta", which is the sound they make when they are telling you off, and they do this with great regularity. They bounce on two feet toward you and give you "what for". The wagging of the fan tail is especially delightful. The small splash of white above the eye lends them a rather fierce expression as you can see in these photos. I apologise for the less than picturesque background (rotting fruit) but as you know, just getting small birds to stay still long enough to take a snap is one of the bird lover's perennial problems!
I managed to get a couple of shots as he danced around. I will leave him alone now as I don't want him to think he will be disturbed at breakfast every morning by a silly woman with a camera!
We have had some Winter rain at last in Western Australia, and a storm knocked down the last of the fruit from my fruit trees. It has provided a feast of insects for this little willy wagtail - another one of our great bird "characters".
About the size of a robin - perhaps a bit larger, they are common right across Australia. I still find their appearance in the garden a source of excitement because they will interact happily with humans and always leave you with an anecdote or two to share with others. When I knelt down to do some weeding in the garden in hot weather a few months ago, I had one hop into my shadow to take advantage of the shade. He kept hopping into my shadow as I moved and chatted away for about twenty minutes.
They are totally fearless little chaps and will take on birds three times their size. Local Aboriginal people call them "chitta chitta", which is the sound they make when they are telling you off, and they do this with great regularity. They bounce on two feet toward you and give you "what for". The wagging of the fan tail is especially delightful. The small splash of white above the eye lends them a rather fierce expression as you can see in these photos. I apologise for the less than picturesque background (rotting fruit) but as you know, just getting small birds to stay still long enough to take a snap is one of the bird lover's perennial problems!
I managed to get a couple of shots as he danced around. I will leave him alone now as I don't want him to think he will be disturbed at breakfast every morning by a silly woman with a camera!