A wonderful pair of migratory visitors turned up at my place on World Migratory Bird Day – Scarlet Robins!
This is one of the cutest photographs I’ve ever taken; she was like a fluffy little golfball. This female Scarlet Robin sat quietly in the shallow birdbath for ages before flying towards me and landing on my lens. She looked into my eyes for ages as I tried desperately not to blink. It was a magical moment. I haven’t managed to photograph her yet this year so re-shared this favourite shot from last year.
I spotted the male Scarlet Robin first, his bright red chest is so vibrant. The pair, along with a family of Superb Fairywrens, were the first birds I saw that morning. These robins are altitudinal migrators and are the best part of winter.
This afternoon I attended a presentation by Sean Dooley (author of The Big Twitch) at a local library and during the talk he mentioned that Scarlet Robins (along with other species) are declining in numbers. I hope so much that land-clearing stops and that more properties are covenanted or join groups such as Gardens for Wildlife. Imagine if everyone planted more locally indigenous natives; wildlife corridors would be enhanced and birds would be able to move through to their feeding areas. It could save species from extinction. What a wonderful thought.
Happy birding, Kim
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