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This is a wild and free Australian native parrot, a Rainbow Lorikeet, aptly named!
Each afternoon, bird feeders are filled with fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, and a sweet syrup mix - hundreds of the wild and free birds find this an irresistable mix, and come to get fed.
In return for the free feed, we human visitors get to delight in the colourful spectacle.
These are just some of the wonderful wild and free Rainbow Lorikeets, one of Australia's most well-known parrots, that are enjoying free fresh fruit and seeds and a sugar based syrup each afternoon.
The flocks can easily be hundreds of birds strong - there is a constant stream of birds coming and going - and the continuous movement makes photography here very difficult - this is under a shade and consequently makes it difficult to get food focus. And using such a slow camera as I have to use ISO 100 - I get most shots blurred beyond use. However, its a joy to share the moments at such close range - perhaps 3 metres at most.
These birds are incredibly noisy when in such a large flock - its a deafening sound!
Melb Zoo have set up a number of feeding stations for these birds, and about 3.30pm each day, a Keeper provides fresh food for them.
The wild and free birds have come to take advantage of this situation, and are well-habituated to it.
Each day they assemble as a large flock in the nearby trees until its feeding time. Then its every bird for themselves.
Royal Melbourne Zoo, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Both Jo and my brother acussed them of being biscuits and there was much bandying about of "Oh my lords you wouldn't want to think they were sugared biscuits and take a bite of that and get.. Mmmm savoury! O_O;;" etc. *laughs*
I'm allergic to chicken so John decided to go on a trip to aquire these to let me try them. I've got to say, they DO taste really chickenie (I was scared to eat them cause its been so long since I could even taste something chicken esque without being VIOLENTLY ill) but they were actually REALLY good! I'm so totally excited about them. :D