It was a hot day in the gardens and this tiny honeyeater must have enjoyed sipping the warm, sweet nectar from the eucalyptus blossoms.
Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta)
1/1600, f6.3, ISO 800
Male Scarlett Honeyeaters have bright red feathers on their head, back and upper breast with blackish wings and tails – they are striking looking birds. Juveniles and females are softer, very much subtler, and just as gorgeous.
It’s often difficult to see these tiny birds as they forage among the flowers. They weigh a mere 8g and measure about 10cm, you could hold one gently in your hand and hardly know it was there.
Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta)
1/1600, f6.3, ISO 800
Scarlet Honeyeaters can be seen, if you’re lucky, between Melbourne and Cooktown in northern Queensland. They tend to head further north during the southern winter. I’d spent a couple of hours under my hide one day and just as I was emerging a male Scarlet Honeyeater landed in front of me. It stared at me for a moment before taking off. It was one of those times when I took what I call a heart photo, I remember the scene well and the best thing about heart photos is that they are always perfectly focussed.
Happy birding
Kim
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A ‘heart photo’ that is perfect, especially for people like yours truly who are hopeless photographers but am always seeing amazing wildlife anywhere and everywhere. Funny thing is I always can visualise the beautiful birds, butterflies and other animals and now I know all this time I have been taking ‘heart photos’.
These little honeyeaters are amazing to watch and yes the flowering red gum is stunning. You almost feel you are in the garden. Beautiful photos, thank you Kim.
I’m glad you like the idea of heart photos Barbara, I’ve used them successfully for many years and it sounds like you have too! I’m glad you enjoyed the images, it was beautiful to watch her disappear among the blossoms and then reappear to have a feed
Beautiful image Kim you have the Scarlet Honeyeater and the beautiful gum blossom.
Thank you Kathleen. Reading your comment you’ve made me want to go back and see if the blossom is still there … hopefully I’ll be able get there before it fades
Beautiful photos! Thank you.
Thank you Meredith!
Such a sweet and dainty bird ❤️
Looks lovely amongst the blossoms!
It’s lovely when the bird and the blossoms are both gorgeous 🙂