A Parrot of September

The afternoon revealed magic in a number of quarters. Laden with photos on my way back from exploring around the vicinity of the old railway water tower, I saw honey eaters of a type flitting every which way playing apparently tag-a-tree following on one diagonal course a path between the bare branches of a tree in a neighbour's yard and my lemon tree.

A pang of recognition I wanted to play too occurred and especially disappointment.

Anyway, I had set my mind to spend time cleaning up the garden as the rain had stopped. No time to play. To my amazement as I walked around the front corner of the house to access the garden I immediately saw across the distance to the back fence and through its wire a pair of parrots scuffling around on the ground apparently feeding.

I took better photos today. Nevertheless this one might be important and I was lucky that when the pair fluttered out of sight one returned and flew up to the top of the old chook yard fence it looked out from long enough for me to take this one photo.

Rosellas breed in September here in the South-East of South Australia and earlier when the weather is wetter that average. The female choses where she will nest and she and her mate prepare their residence. While they are seen in flocks according to Wikipedia 'of 20 or so', their habit is to be seen in breeding season in single and isolated pairs doing exactly what I witnessed the pair doing, scuffling on the ground feeding together. The pair is territorial including against their own kind and warn other rosellas to stay away from their chosen tree.

I believe the pair to be Crimson Rosellas, discernibly adults because I could see even at the distance I first saw them they were predominantly red and blue, no evidence of the green feathers of a juvenile.