Living in the coastal areas, you are always rewarded with the beauty of the flora but also the rich bird life. One such spectacular bird is the malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa). This is only the second time I have spotted this lovely bird. I have seen the Cape Sugar bird and the southern double-collared sunbird many times. Of all the sugar and sunbirds, I think this one is one of the most beautiful.
With its long bead and colorful feathers, I could not help but run after it with my camera. I was lucky that it stayed in the garden for a while. I am sure it got some nectar and nice bugs! The garden is full of different insects, especially butterflies. The cool summer breeze from the ocean surely helps to keep things from overheating.
It was very quick, and another sunbird arrives! I am not sure if it is a female or male. They quickly fly away in a dogfight style, you cannot believe how quickly they fly away and in that style. It is something to witness.
Not long afterward, he comes back and waits on one of the dead palm tree stems. Perched high, you can see the lovely colors of his feathers reflect in the sun.
Almost as if it knows, it turns its belly toward the sun so that the feathers reflect even brighter and more beautifully.
I can only imagine the first time humans saw this amazing bird. It surely is made of gold! One might think someone shouted. Sad that some people might have caught it in expectation of just that. One never knows with humans and our own folly.
Alas, the beauty is luckily still with us. With humans destroying wild habitats faster than ever, one might wonder how long these stunning birds will still be with us. It is not a nice thought, but one that we need to have from time to time. Think about all the nice things you can buy over the internet or in the mall, and then think again about these amazing creatures. Is that extra shop for your convenience really necessary?
Before I go on about this on my usual tangent, let me rather stop for the night! I hope you enjoyed these photographs of the amazing sunbird. All of the photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and Tamron zoom 300mm lens. The musings are also mine. Happy birding, and stay safe!
I don't know how you guys are pulling those shots of😂 I've got like three shots that I have ever been able to take of the birdy actually sitting still... And one great shot of it catching air...
But it looks very good👌
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Thank you so much, my friend! Patience, loads of trying and failures, and a bunch of spare time. My hard drives are full of "graveyards" of photographs that are either out of focus, nothing in the frame and various other ills.
What did the golfer Gary Player say once, the more I practice the luckier I get!
Well what do you know! That seems plausible 😂😂
Laughs and it's funny how a person can cling onto those photos even though the are buggerish😂 but deleting them feels like you'd be losing a part of yourself
Oh yes that exactly!! I have so many stupid photographs testing my camera at the beginning when I bought the camera. But deleting them like you said feels like deleting a part of you! We creatures are funny!
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That is one beautiful bird!
Lucky you to spot him
I was indeed, and thank you for the visit! Stay well, my friend.
What a beauty! Thank you for posting.
Thank you for the visit! I was very lucky because soon a fellow malachite chased the one I photographed away!
I first learned of this bird from Papillon Charity's posts, it truly is a special creature ♥️ I hope he comes back to your garden!
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Thank you so much! A very special creature indeed. Yes, me and Papillon Charity live in the same area, or I think 10-15km away from me. My garden mostly attracts the smaller birds until the fig tree is fruiting!
I thought so, you tend to post many of the same species :) It's nice to see the small animals of Africa :)
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We do yes! And it is amazing the life we have here. Our gardens are always overflowing. Sadly, like across the world, the bigger animals unfortunately are all long gone. Some even extinct. It is very sad. But luckily the small life is going on strong!
I heard you still have leopards :) ... It's sad that the lions, elephants, and most other large animals are restricted to preserves though 😢
Small creatures are just able to hide a lot better, and many are less deadly...
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That is true! There is a mountain close by that apparently still have some leopards, which is scary because we still hike there!
Yes, that is sad that those designated areas are also getting smaller and smaller. Alas. Hopefully it changes soon. We will realise that we cannot live without nature!
How amazing would it be to see a leopard while hiking :) !!! We should live with nature, not try to confine the larger animals into where we think they fit...
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