- Rick Rouse, from Why I Love Country Living
In November last year, rather late in the season, I noticed the Red Bishop was back - maybe he never left, it's rather difficult to differentiate him from the Sparrows and similarly brown-coloured birds when he's not wearing his breeding outfit. I also only know when his female is around when I see them together - she's similarly sparrow-like.
With spring breaking through here in South Africa now, the Black-headed Oriole is already enjoying the sweet nectar of the Aloes and I'm looking forward to hearing the Red Bishops bright chatter again!
Wow, those colors are amazing!
ReplyDeleteLove this birds graphic coloring! Nice page!
ReplyDeleteHe's extremely colourful during the breeding season Kate, makes him stand out in the garden like a flash of light! Hope his predators don't think the same!
ReplyDeleteThank you PJ!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how exotic your flora and fauna seem to a midwesterner in the USA...as for this bird's mating color, I sometimes wonder just how this adaptation allows him to survive, let alone procreate. I suppose it's all more complicated than a few scientific principles can account for.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanette, I've seen how this unusual colouring can attract predators when I used to go outside with my Patagonian Conure - a Peregrine Falcon dive-bombed us in the hope of an easy tit-bit! But maybe the Red Bishop looks more like a flower in the garden than a tit-bit!
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