Lmst

🌏 Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) #AustralasianBirds #AustralianBirds #NewZealandBirds #MelanesianBirds | #Silvereye #WaxEye #Tauhou #ZosteropsLateralis | #Silvereyes #TypicalWhiteEyes #WhiteEyes #WhiteEyeFamily #PerchingBirds 📷: Photo by pen_ash🦜 #birdsoftheworld #birds

🌏 Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)

The silvereye or wax-eye, also known by its Māori name tauhou, is a small (11-13 cm) bird, readily identified by a prominent white ring of feathers around its eye. Plumage varies by subspecies but generally features olive-green upperparts and lighter underparts (cream, grey, or yellowish) with flanks ranging from chestnut to pale buff.

Native to Australia, New Zealand, and southwestern Pacific islands, it's common in most vegetated areas except open grasslands, including forests, scrub, and urban gardens.

Silvereyes are active, social birds, often forming flocks outside the breeding season. They are omnivorous, feeding on insects, spiders, berries, fruit, and nectar. Many Australian populations undertake significant nocturnal migrations, including astonishing sea crossings, especially northward in autumn for winter. They build cup-shaped nests and raise multiple broods. 2.5 Flash (Edited)

Seventeen subspecies are recognised.

Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

📷: Photo by pen_ash via Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/photos/silvereye-white-eye-wax-eye-9518728/

GRER

Sounds like our furry neighbour (tinkerbell cat) may be running around in our garden this morning.

Yesterday though, there was lots of very loud birdsong (#Silvereyes) having a jolly good feast 😂

One drawing per day - Day 362

End of the challenge, J-4

Fin du challenge, J-4

feat. Luna

#art #artchallenge #onedrawingperday #drawing #digitalart #krita #girl #originalcharacter #luna #moon #silverhair #silvereyes #ncu #mastoart

@ptoothfish
...2/n

* 4) Soft and quiet/hushed, almost there, sweet trilly warbling in nearby bush. Bell like. "Yum! The food here is really tasty, isn't it babe"

* 5) "Di> di di, Di> di di" (d'' b' c'' d'' b' c'') - Slightly microtonally out of tune, incessant repeating of these 3 notes, often quite loud == A hungry juvenile!

* 6) Yiddling / Laughing Sound - I still don't know what this means, or why they do it. A very fun sound, but I still don't know when / why they do it

#Silvereyes

@ptoothfish
What you really want to hear for these birds are:
* 1) Long lyrical trilly warbling song. Loud - It's a really beautifully warm + sunny day. Birds are happy.

* 2) Loud + rapid chorus of multiple VERY excited echoey high pitched chie-like calls (dunno how to describe) coming from a bush - They've discovered something exciting

* 3) Loud short and sharp "chiiiee" (going up) - "I'm here!" - As they swoop in

... 1/n

#Silvereyes

@ptoothfish
E.g. You have:
* "Chieeee" - Very lonesome sounding (tone dropping) "contact call" when alone

* "Chie chie chie chie chie" - If you only ever hear this urgent rapid-fire seq (growing fainter), your opsec needs work! That is the sound of one or more of them rapidly fleeing the area because of you!

#Silvereyes

@ptoothfish
I often read descriptions of Silvereyes / Tauhou making a so-called "cree" call when alone. I suspect they all copied from that same single source.

What they're referring to is what I often call "chiee". It is but one of several calls those birds make (but if you were to refer to those guides, you'd be seriously mistaken)

#Silvereyes

One drawing per day - Day 271

Some redraw :P

feat. Luna

#art #artchallenge #onedrawingperday #drawing #doodle #girl #originalcharacter #luna #moon #silverhair #silvereyes #redraw #cute #mastoart

I'd heard the A380 taking off (quite loudly I must add, and sounding like it was heading to the south instead of to the north as usual IIRC) while snapping some shots of a pair of silvereyes in the small cherry blossom outside the office.

#Silvereyes

4 vertical pillars of cherry blossom flowers, with a silvereye bird standing half-way up the last one (that is only half covered in flowers), parallel to the branch.

The flowers are bathed in golden sunlight

One drawing per day - Day 213

😠

feat. Luna

#art #artchallenge #onedrawingperday #drawing #doodle #girl #originalcharacter #luna #moon #ladybug #silverhair #silvereyes #pout #poutface #angry #mastoart

One drawing per day - Day 212

🤔

feat. Luna

#art #artchallenge #onedrawingperday #drawing #doodle #girl #originalcharacter #luna #moon #ladybug #silverhair #silvereyes #thinking #mastoart

One drawing per day - Day 211

🐞

feat. Luna

#art #artchallenge #onedrawingperday #drawing #doodle #girl #originalcharacter #luna #moon #ladybug #silverhair #silvereyes #discovering #mastoart

One drawing per day - Day 210

feat. Luna

#art #artchallenge #onedrawingperday #drawing #doodle #girl #originalcharacter #luna #moon #wind #silverhair #silvereyes #mastoart

Here is a fun little sequence montage of shots of a silvereye eating a small ball of fruit it yanked out of the berry.

It's quite comical how it tilts back its head, opens its beak wide to let the food drop in, then snaps its beak closed 😂

#Silvereyes

Montage of a series of photos of silvereye eating a piece of fruit.

From left to right:
1) Ball of yellow fruit in beak - horizontal head
2) Head + beak tilted upwards at ~45 degree angle
3) Beak wide open, and fruit "falling" into the gaping void
4) Beak closing to a thin gap
5) Beak closed
6) Head returns to horizontal. All is calm.

Whee! We've made it to the weekend!

Am feeling quite pleased tonight that I took some time out this afternoon to do a spot of backyard birding

Despite the chilly temperatures (and wind chill), am very pleased with the shots I managed to get today (like the one below, where the soft lighting + colours are 😍 )

Can you believe this is only the 2nd time this "Autumn Birdy Berry Tree" *season* I've managed to get out there with big bird lens to do this?! Unbelievable...

More to come!

#Silvereyes

Yay! It's the weekend at last, after a very long week!

Here's one of my favourite shots from this morning 😍

#SilvereyeSeason23 #Silvereyes #BirdPhotography

Silvereye taking flight from a partially open bottlebrush flower, wings outstretched like a fan, head facing upwards towards the golden light, a glint in its eye

First bird of the season has now been snapped 😊

(Quick snapshot from back of camera of a silvereye hopping from a branch to a flower, wings raised in action pose, and orange harakeke pollen on its head)

#Silvereyes #SilvereyeSeason23