Here’s looking at you

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters look as though they’ve been coloured-in by a creative child.

This close-up shows the details of a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater’s head. The pinkish-red bill is tipped with black while a strip of bare skin, also pinkish-red, curves from the top of the bill to beneath the eye. The eye is blue, sky blue, startlingly blue. The spiny feathers of its cheeks are white in adults and yellow in juveniles – making this beautiful bird a youngster. Their heads are a brownish-grey with scalloped markings. There’s a narrow band of feathers stretching from the bill and running beneath the spiny cheek feathers. A close look at these shows a faint zebra-like effect, while the throat is a beautiful soft orange, reflecting the mallee sands where this shot was taken.

I’ve shared other photographs of the species, which can be found by using the search button, but this is the first time I’ve shared a portrait shot. I was stoked to capture such a detailed close-up especially as the species is so assertive and active.

I’m longing for a day with my camera and the birds. Thanks to windy days I’ve been even busier than usual playing pick-up-sticks. It’s also the time of year when I cut back some of the plants that have finished flowering. My mower has been out of action for a couple of weeks but I picked up the rest on the parts this morning so should be back on the grass (as opposed to on the road) tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll get the mowing done in the morning and work on some photography in the afternoon.

I hope that 2024 is kind to you, very kind, happy birding, Kim

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