I see these birds often in my garden but they are so wary of me that I don’t even come close to pointing my camera lense at them. Today, this juvenile came down and was perched on our pool fence with a couple of noisy miners. I took these shots through the window screen mesh so they are not crystal clear but actually the best photographs I’ve managed to achieve so far of these rather attractive birds.
The adult birds are more attractive though with a vivid blue patch around the eye instead of the yellowish-green shown here in this younger bird. The juveniles also have dark brown head feathers rather than black.
Here he is with the pair of noisy miners and it was raining all day today so the birds look rather wet and fluffed up. Seeing these two species of birds together reveals that they show some similarities around the beak shape and eye area.
I always know when the blue-faced honeyeaters (Entomyzon cyanotis) are around because of their rather shrill call which is a kind of loud yoik and they are quite lively and aggressive around other birds. They don’t stay still for long and even in these shots there is movement. Everything about them, in my experience, is quick, restless and aggressive movement – not shy and retiring at all!
As I don’t yet have a decent photograph of an adult bird, I have borrowed an image to show you how attractive the adult birds are with the gorgeous blue colouring around their eyes.
