Hi friends 🙂 Say hello to your March calendar muse the precious little Striated Pardalote (black-headed). They are so cute and these guys have a very distinctive “chew chew chew” call (check out trusty ebird to hear that!).
A pair of these pardalotes hang out and nest in the same vicinity as the local azure kingfisher which is how I initially saw them. I watched them for weeks with their careful routine of pausing on the branch for ages before entering their nest in the bank and that is what the pardalote in your calendar picture is doing. I observed them bringing food to the nest and I was in awe of how much they managed to fit in their tiny beak.
Happily, another pair decided to visit our house. So picture me chasing the sound of them calling around the garden trying to spot the tiny flash of colour. If you know me, you know I can’t see sh!t even with my glasses. Even when one decided to visit me outside my study window, I couldn’t manage a decent photo because they are so quick.
They have taught me a vital life lesson though friends – always clean your dirty windows because you never know who might stop by.
Enjoy your March 🙂