Crimson Rosellas are spectacular at any time but this youngster with its freshly unfurled feathers is absolutely exquisite.
1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 1600, handheld
Canon R5, Canon RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM
Crimson Rosellas are here every day and nest in hollows in the huge Mahogany Gums (E. botryoides) so I frequently see adults and youngsters but this is the first time I’ve seen one with this lime-green, golden glow. There are three types of Crimson Rosella, the crimson, the yellow and the orange. They rarely interbred and I’m in the crimson only range or I might have thought this was a cross between the crimson and the yellow type.
1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 1600, handheld
Canon R5, Canon RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM
I was stoked to get this shot of it striding jauntily along the branch. Adult females have green feathers in the upper central part of their tails but I wouldn’t be game to say this one is female as it’s still in its juvenile plumage.
1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 800, focal length 560mm
Canon 5D3, Canon 200-400 L IS USM EXT
As many readers won’t be familiar with adult Crimson Rosellas I thought I should share this photograph I took a while ago of one enjoying apricots from my tiny orchard.
I’m thinking of everyone in south east Queensland and northern NSW as they wait for Cyclone Alfred to reach the mainland in the next few hours. I hope everyone stays safe and that the wildlife manages find refuges.
Thinking of you all and hoping that the birds are singing again soon, Kim
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Great photos! They are such stunning birds. Always a pleasure to see them
I think so too Alyssa, they are beautiful to have around, and this one especially so
Wow! That Rosella really is a dazzler! You are so lucky to have them nesting on your patch. I love the long swoop of their tail, and he looks so pleased with himself, strutting along the branch in the 2nd photo. Nature forgot to bedazzle their beaks, which are just plain white, unlike the Rainbow Lorikeet, with its amazing red beak. They do look as if they might be closely related to the Lorries- are they,Kim?
Such a beautiful bird! They are in my garden at the moment and the Bell Miners are calling too. Lorikeets and rosellas are both part of the true parrot family, Psittacidae. There are forty-two members of that part of the parrot family. We are so lucky to have so many truly beautiful birds here.