They came as a couple . At least now i knew that they were a couple . Until now i thought they belong to two different species , do they?
One of them perched on the cauliflower plants and the other preferred the barbed wire...
See the blue sun bird seated on a cauliflower leaf....
The other yellow brown one kept herself on the barbed wire...can you spot that brown scruffy bird ?
Look at them in the same frame...
And then the blue one hops , as she does so many time as i struggle with the camera....but then , the hop, as my eyes can see that , is not actually just a hop . It is a full fledged flight with wings stretched wide ...and beautiful....the camera caught it even as the eyes missed it..
The brown scruffy is already missing ...see the blue one in a close up ...how beautiful....blurred picture because my camera was following her/him...( please clear my doubts on it )...
And where did they settle... the blue one choose a broccoli leaf this time and the brown scruffy sat on the ground...
Jahan main jaati hoon waheen chale aate ho... isn't that cute...
After a few hours both of them were on the lemon tree , sucking the nectar from the abundant flowers... and when i focused the camera , this one hopped...err...flew..
Look at the beautiful flight , the fully stretched wings....It's the same shiny blue sun bird.
Looking darker here because the light is from opposite direction...
I hope Nirupama sundar will come to read this post and correct me if the names of the birds are not correct or i mistook them for a couple:)
Are they really sun birds?
Where are you Nirupama ? Why don't you mail me once . I will stalk you with my questions about all this ....
One of them perched on the cauliflower plants and the other preferred the barbed wire...
See the blue sun bird seated on a cauliflower leaf....
The other yellow brown one kept herself on the barbed wire...can you spot that brown scruffy bird ?
Look at them in the same frame...
And then the blue one hops , as she does so many time as i struggle with the camera....but then , the hop, as my eyes can see that , is not actually just a hop . It is a full fledged flight with wings stretched wide ...and beautiful....the camera caught it even as the eyes missed it..
The brown scruffy is already missing ...see the blue one in a close up ...how beautiful....blurred picture because my camera was following her/him...( please clear my doubts on it )...
And where did they settle... the blue one choose a broccoli leaf this time and the brown scruffy sat on the ground...
Jahan main jaati hoon waheen chale aate ho... isn't that cute...
After a few hours both of them were on the lemon tree , sucking the nectar from the abundant flowers... and when i focused the camera , this one hopped...err...flew..
Look at the beautiful flight , the fully stretched wings....It's the same shiny blue sun bird.
Looking darker here because the light is from opposite direction...
I hope Nirupama sundar will come to read this post and correct me if the names of the birds are not correct or i mistook them for a couple:)
Are they really sun birds?
Where are you Nirupama ? Why don't you mail me once . I will stalk you with my questions about all this ....
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Yes, I think they are a couple. Purple Sunbird is what I think they are called, though there is no purple in the scruffy brown female (not sure!) bird.
ReplyDeleteLoved the description!!!! And the one in which both are there is adorable, also the one with sings stretched out!!! (the last two)
ReplyDeleteThe brown one is not clearly visible in some of the pictures, because it just won't stay still and what a camouflage!
Love your garden by the way!!
ReplyDeleteThank you IHM...i started watching this behavior after you told me they are a couple...They are usually together but since they look so different i used to think that they are two different birds ...The brown one is more shy i guess and more accurately camouflaged :)may be that is the reason why she always chooses to sit in those brown or dull surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThe purple one is sure a feisty bird , a gymnast who enjoys her moves:)
ooooh beautiful i guess from the description the blue one is trying to wooo the other one :)
ReplyDeletelovely pics ... it looks like a humming bird :)
Bikram's
Yes the blue one behaves like a hummingbird too , guess they are related.
ReplyDeleteThese birds suck the nectar of the flowers while still in flight , i have seen them drinking water from the desert cooler panels , suspended into the air in their flight..it's beautiful to watch them that way.
beautiful sangeeta, though couldnt place the brown scruffy at certain places. Love your garden :)
ReplyDeletesangita, somehow i have missed this post, they are purple sunbirds, behaving like humming birds, the male is dark and thefemale is brownish, they build nest like the one which had posted a few days back,I one down doest look like the female one but a tailor bird if it has a olive green back
ReplyDeleteYes Nirupama...there is minute difference between the yellow breasted sun bird and the tailor bird .
ReplyDeleteI considered them as a couple when i saw them playing with each other and the yellow one was following the purple one ....
The female purple sunbird also resembles more like a yellow breasted sunbird., the light brown pair must be its pair,
ReplyDeletesangita, a strange thing with tailor birds which i ve noticed, yet to chk if it is correct, the male tailor bird develops a long stick like attachment during the mating season, i ve seen the male often stitching a pair of leave with so many running stitches, the beauty is their piercing will not create a mark on the leaves.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nirupama . Discussing the birds behavior on the blogs is becoming more and more fun :)
ReplyDeleteI have been watching a pair of bulbul around my home...the male develops a swollen vocal chord ( probably it is vocal chords) and when he calls the swollen area vibrates under his neck....have taken a picture of this pair and will post very soon.
Unfortunately my camera has developed problems and i am not able to take any pics for the last few days :(
The tailor birds i have watched in my garden too .... i could not see any male member but the mother prompting the kids to learn flying ...they had a nest in one of my broad leaf dracena plant..they make a nest in the lemon tree too but now i can't see the family as the lemon tree is quite big n dense..
:) @ jahaan main jaati hoon waheen chale aate ho
ReplyDeleteLove this post, the pictures are really nice and thanks for all this discussion to Nirupama as well.