Nature is full of treasures waiting to be found if you can read the signs.
It looked as if the sun exploded the treetop.
So, first I will show you some beauties, and then the treasure find.
Talking about reading the ways of nature, my secret is to watch the irrational movements in the trees and bushes. I mean it doesn't make sense when two little birds continue to visit a small lemon tree, as they don't eat citrus, or its leaves. So there has to be a reason and I decided to investigate. Never judge by first appearances, as they are almost all misleading, but instead rather have a deeper look. And so, I will show you what I found to solve the mysterious movements of the little sunbirds.
Come and solve the puzzle with me.
Like I said, I will share some beauties first. This is an Acrea Butterfly, signaling to us that the Spring season is on its way.
And there were even some honey bees around.
And now it's time to show you the treasure hiding in the small lemon tree.
Here below you can see that the tree is about shoulder height, and remember what I said about first appearances.
I looked a bit closer, expecting to maybe find some small larvae, or tiny worms, as birds like to eat insects.
So I looked deeper and lo and behold, there was the answer to the puzzle. A new constructed palace (nest) in there, and the bonus was that I saw her in the nest.
The "her" that I am talking about, is a little southern double-collared female sunbird like this one below.
Although the male was not shy, and he sat singing in a bigger tree next to the little lemon tree.
It was a cold morning, and the hibiscus flower below was waiting for some sunlight.
Eventually as sun break arrived, the hibiscus flower opened up.
Finally, I end the pictures with another shot of an Acraea butterfly on a different flower.
So, I have shown you the treasure that I found, and it was a sunbird nest. Last season I did some posts about a malachite sunbird's nest and also got shots of them feeding their baby. Now I will keep an eye on the small sunbirds nest to hopefully also get their baby on camera. If I get the baby, then I will have both the biggest sunbird (Malachite), and the smallest sunbird (Double-collared) babies on camera. A rare feat for me of course, and I cannot tell you how happy I was to see the new nest. I called my wife to show her the nest, and if I know her, then she is now already collecting some food for the baby when it emerges from the nest :)
A happy day to all.
I hope you enjoyed the story and the pictures.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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