Yesterday there were plenty of Tui visiting the garden and singing in good voice. The weather was pleasantly dry and calm and out I went with my camera.
My intention was to record a single Tui singing and upload that to You Tube which means readers of my blog can access this special bird and its marvellous song.
The first video clip here shows a Tui in their favourite Tulip Magnolia tree which is very close to the sugar water feeders. I was fortunate to find a Tui on a branch relatively close to me and easily seen. I pressed record but realised that, in fact, there were at least two other Tui singing in the same tree as well as another across the road in the Pohutukawa tree.
At one point in the video you can see my singer pause, listen to the song of another bird and then begin her/his tune again.
Luck was even more on my side later in the day when I spied a Tui in the deciduous Magnolia we have in our garden. I have been securing pieces of fruit on a few branches of this tree to attract the Tauhou(Silvereyes) to feed. Tui are always curious about red or orange objects and this one I suspect had been to check out the half orange.
This Tui (You tube clip here)sings a very familiar song to me indicating that she/he has been visiting the garden for more than a year. The floor was hers/his and even with a minor embarrassment part way through the recital, the performance went on in true theatrical fashion.
I hope you enjoy hearing some of the remarkable notes and sounds these birds can make with their double voice box. If you think you are seeing the bird’s beak move at times but can hear nothing that is also possible as some of their notes can be beyond our human hearing range.
I never grow tired of hearing these delightful birds singing long and often.