The Swee Waxbills have a new feeder, and they really love it.
Two bird species in here and I want to show you the Swees first.
I normally get the Buzzard birds of prey at this farm, but they were scarce on this day. Not to mind, as there is always something else to look out for. The bird feeder was hung from a branch of a big old oak tree, that has some tables and chairs under it for the public to sit and enjoy the wares of a small restaurant. The coffee is the best, as they make it in the original farm style called by the Dutch name of "Moerkoffie". Basically, ground coffee that is boiled. One has to watch out though for the sludge at the bottom of the cup, as it does not have a great taste when swallowed. Almost like mud :)
The swee waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis), is a common species of estrildid finch native to Southern Africa.
The swee waxbill is 9–10 cm long with a grey head and breast, pale yellow belly, olive back and wings, red lower back and rump, and a black tail. The upper mandible is black and the lower red. The male has a black face, but the female's face is grey. Juveniles are much duller than the female and have an all-black bill.
The swee waxbill is typically found in uplands in dry shrubland and open forest habitats. Some subspecies also occur in lowlands, and may be seen in large gardens.
This species is a common and tame bird typically seen in small parties, and does not form large flocks. The swee waxbill's call is typically considered a soft swee, swee.
I dropped a banana flower in here to serve as a line break.
And now, we have a different bird.
This guy is a Southern Double-Collared Sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus), and although I have posted many of them in the past, they are still one of my favorites to see.
First time for me to get a baby in action.
A beautiful little thing and I was glad that I got him on camera.
Finally, you can see his dad sitting around on a Bottle-brush bush, watching out for any danger from the skies.
Let me tell you that it is not easy to get the little sunbirds in a large Hibiscus tree, as they flit from flower to flower in seconds. I often have more misses than hits on a shoot and end up with only bare flowers and no bird :) But then I again, I also often get it right when I focus on a near flower that I think he will land on. So, a person has to wait and hope that the guess is right. That just makes the photography of these little birds more exciting, as it really tests one's wills.
On this day I got it fairly right, and I hope that you enjoyed the pictures.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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