The sugar water feeders were empty today and my friend here sat on the fence to alert me to his or her hunger. My reward for coming out with new supplies was this Tui stayed still and allowed me to sneak very close to take some photos.
The Tui are back at the feeders after a very quiet period in the last 4-6 weeks.
There are lots of conversations going on. Some friendly enough….
Others not so much
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.
Finally I have set time aside to upload a video clip of Tuis visiting the sugar water feeders in my garden last November (2014).
It is my first You Tube upload and seemed simple enough thank goodness.
To get the best effect from the You Tube clip click this link here: , turn the sound up on your device and enjoy the songs of the Tui (they have a double voice box which means they can make a large range of fluting notes, through to gurgles and croaks). All the louder bird song/sounds on this clip are those of Tui.
I hope you can also hear the rustling sounds of their wings.
I have blogged about Tui many times here on my blog and they continue to bring me endless delight as they visit the garden.
During the next breeding season I will be on the look-out for visiting fledglings and I plan to video those charming youngsters.
This morning, in the early morning autumn light
Many readers of my blog will know how much I enjoy feeding the Tui and taking photographs of these iconic and special New Zealand birds.
As word has got about in the Tui world that we have two sugar water feeders on offer, the number of birds visiting each day to drink their fill has risen. Antics at the feeders have increased substantially too.
Moulting season has come and gone this year and with it a small but delightful collection of feathers have been left in my garden.
Here is a selection from my collection:
Filamentous feathers of a Tui’s white, double tufted curled feather wattle
Filoplume feather from a Tui’s “shawl” around its neck and across its upper back
Wing or tail feathers showing some iridescence
Soft brownish breast or underbelly feathers showing some iridescence
Possibly fledgling’s soft downy feathers?
And in other feathery news I have spotted a Bellbird investigating the feeder and also checking out the bottle brush bushes….no photos…..or Bellbird feather treasure……yet…..
A feast of red berries for a Kereru today.
The Tom Thumb Bottle Brush bush is putting out new brushes at the moment and the Tuis love the nectar from these colourful, sweet flowers.
Above the bush is the Melia tree and the Tui often use the lower branches as a launch pad to drop into the bush.
Here is a Tui considering a leap into the bush.
Did he leap? Yes he did only to disturb another Tui deeper in the bush.
ordinarygoodness 