Waffly Wednesday

One of the joys of my visits down to the farm is the abundance of native birds that visit the garden. For the past couple of years I've stalked them like the Hollywood paparazzi but to no avail. Clever things these birds, always managing to be just a foot out of lens range! I was reduced last visit to taking a series of shots of tree branches which I thought I'd scrap with the title "The Last Time Ever I Saw Your Branch..." or something similar! LOL

The last day though, victory was mine. The call of the Tui is quite distinctive and that morning they were really going to town. (Hopefully this link will work for your listening pleasure!http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/birdsong.html ) I'd wandered down the road to have a last look at the river and coming back past the "Honey Paddock" heard that glorious sound. One lone Tui up in a tree, and it seemed to be so intent on calling to it's family in the bush above the sheds that it ignored me and my camera lurking underneath. I decided on a ladylike retreat when he decided to fly a little too close to the beehives but for 20 minutes there was just me and bird. There are much better photos in books/internet, but these are special to me. I think it would be difficult anyway to do justice to the colour of these birds when the sun glimmers on their plumage which at first looks black but is in reality an almost metalic green. And I love the way he fluffs up as he sings - like a rather dishevelled Pavarotti! LOL

I was quite satisfied with this memory to take home with me and carry me through the last of the city winter, but wait, there's more! About a fortnight later I looked out the lounge window here in Auckland and there on the Chinese Lantern tree was a Tui in all its glory about four feet from the house. We've had plenty of Silvereyes, Fantails, Doves, but never before a Tui. I rang the farm to tell them I thought my "friend" had followed me home and was surprised when I didn't get the ridicule I expected. Instead they were quite matter of fact about it.

My friends claim birds do follow you! Their proof being that when they lived on the other side of the valley at Kourarau the Welcome Swallows built their mudnests up high in one of the verandahs every year and "played" above their quarters every day. When they shifted back over to the farm my friend was for sometime a little unsettled by the change until one morning drinking her coffee out in the garden, the Swallows arrived and swirled and whirled above the house. She told me at that moment she knew she was "home". The Welcome Swallows told her so.

Today the Tui visited again, had its fill of nectar from the Lantern flowers, gave me a nod and flew off. Yes. Home.