Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)

We both have a long standing love affair with Australian native plants. When Paladian suggested a visit to the Belair National Park's State Native Plant Nursery this afternoon, I could not pack my camera bag fast enough!

Although I took a long zoom lens in case I had to fall back on a bird shot in the park, I was planning on getting a wide angle shot of the nursery for blip. It is a unique place and not the run of the mill looking nursery our northern hemisphere friends would ever see. So I used my regular mid-zoom lens and left the long zoom in the car!

The only problem was, I made the wrong choice of lenses! As I walked up the path to the nursery, there in front of me in a bush of kangaroo paw was an Eastern Spinebill, jumping all over the flowers, taking no notice of me. Normally I would never expect to get so close. That was the end of the wide angle nursery shot and here is another bird shot instead!

OK in LARGE but wish I had used a longer lens!

The Eastern Spinebill is most easily recognised by its very long, fine, down-curved beak and energetic flight, during which its white outer tail feathers are prominent.

Males have a grey-black crown which extends in a black line on either site of the breast. The breast and throat are white, with a patch in the centre of the throat. The wings and lower back are dark grey and the underparts and upper back are buff.

The Eastern Spinebill is a honeyeater and feeds on insects and nectar while perched or while hovering. Nectar is obtained from a wide array of flowers, including grevilleas, kangaroo paw etc, but its beak is particularly well-suited to extracting nectar from tubular flowers.

(For our own garden diary, plants purchased today at the Nursery: Kangaroo paw "The Wiz - Red Green", Kangaroo Paw Bush Pearl, Kangaroo Paw Anigozanthos Bright Orange, Kangaroo Paw Anigozanthos Ramboramp "Rampaging Roy Slaven" and Native Bluebells Wahlenberg stricta.)