Jottings from the Tropics: 21 August 2013

I was curious about the constant patter of seeds falling from one of the trees, so I went to have a look. It wasn't until I was under the tree that I saw what was causing the rain: a party of female and juvenile king parrots. Whenever I pointed the camera at them, they would sidle into the shade of the leaves. And despite that splash of scarlet on their tummies, they really are difficult to see.

I wouldn't generally recommend standing under a tree in which parrots (especially lorikeets) are feeding, but in this case it was worth the risk.

And on the subject of animals in trees...

You might recall the two brush-tailed possums that lived in the macadamia tree over the wet season. Well, they've moved to the king parrot tree, which is spacious enough for each possum to have its own nest.

Until one of them gets lonely.