Hello friends! Winter is here! To celebrate the start of the cooler months, our June pinup is a beautiful, breeding male Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus). If you are wondering what a non-breeding male or female Superb Fairywren looks like, check out The Fairywren Project page here. A fun fact about male Superb (and other male) Fairywrens is that they use coloured petals in courtship displays. Yellow petals appear to be the preference for male Superb Fairywrens.
Fairywrens, including this beauty, are another bird that can be a bit skittish and move far too quickly for the likes of me! This guy however was very inquisitive and not worried about me being nearby. He hopped to a branch just above eye level and posed for me in all his glory. I love watching fairywrens because they seem to move in waves together, all travelling in the same direction.
If you are looking to find some fairywrens, the cooler months are a great time to go bird spotting in Queensland. You do not have to wake up so early and you can stay out longer because it is not as hot. That is my theory anyway and I am looking forward to testing that out again.
In other news, I have a couple of spots available in June for custom hand-drawn pet portraits. Standard mugs are on sale in June 20% off (and yes, I have some fairywren mugs). The first batch of 2025 calendars have also arrived, and they are available for purchase if you are a super early-bird. If any of these are of interest to you, please DM on socials, or send me an email at drmelhyde@gmail.com
I hope June brings lots of birds your way!