Hello! Hope your August is shaping up to be a good one so far. This month your bird’s-eye view calendar features the stunning Musk Lorikeet (Trichoglossus concinnus).
I don’t know much about musk lorikeets, other than their feathers smell like musk, they are smaller than rainbow lorikeets, and they move fast! Way too fast for me. This photo was one of about 500 photos (probably more) I took in an attempt to get a clear shot of this bird. It was one of those times where I’d just line it up and it would skitter off into another gum flower and bury its head or adopt some other non-photogenic pose. Or my timing was off and I got photos of half closed eyes that made the bird look like it was drunk on the flowers.
I remember just how patient Mum was as I kept going back to this same tree every day on our morning walk, trying to get one decent non-blurry photo. Until, finally, four days later, sucess! Thanks Mum, we did it! Also, thanks to the people who own the tree for not assuming I was trying to take photos of their home every day – always awkward.
I’ve gone back to the tree several times since then to see if any more musk lorikeets have shown up, but no luck. Can I also use this opportunity to say, if you can, please plant more flowering gums! The birds love them and so do amateur photographers, like me.
On another note, a little reminder that if you haven’t let me know you would like a 2026 calendar, please do. I’m keeping the size of my order small this year to avoid having left over calendars. If you’ve reached out already, don’t worry, your name is on my list.
Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful month full of birds, books, and warm blankets (if you need those).