We have come a long way, Frodo and I. Yes, we have. It’s been a long time coming.
We greet each other for breakfast nowadays.
Sometimes he brings his friends just as well.
It’s evident that the bowerbirds instructed me these days. A role reversal par-excellence. And a ‘pas-ou-doublé’. It took me a while to work out, that there are two male bowerbirds playing tricks on me.
‘Blueberry Frodo’s’ home is in the southwestern direction.
Whilst ‘Strawberry Frodo’ typically flies in from the northern fringes.
The bowerbird ladies weren’t as game as the boys at this stage, unfortunately.
But they still presented themselves gorgeous in further distance.
Our first close-up encounter was only a few weeks ago.
Did I mention my bower before? Of course, I did.
A real life transforming piece of art, I might say.
The bowerbirds had already been swooped by magpies several times this particular morning.
Blueberry Frodo seemed nervous as he entered the stage. Scanning the sky for swift areal attacks.
A delightful female bowerbird joined him for breakfast. Frodo doesn’t like sharing food at the best of times.
I carefully aimed my camera at him from the porch.
Give us a smile, Frodo. He clearly wasn’t in a joyful mood.
Something spooked him and he darted straight towards me, missing my camera and head narrowly. Followed by a ‘clunk’ sound right behind me.
A bewildered bowerbird stared straight into my eyes. His unmissable blue eyes are hypnotising.
We both didn’t see that coming, no we didn’t. Confused and dazed, we stared at each other for a few seconds. Bad day, huh?
He nodded his head as he took off again. Wow, what an experience that was!
He wasn’t even a meter away from me. Things that make me go ‘ummhh’.
Ever since that day, life gets a bit crazy around here.
The bowerbirds have startled me a few times as they appear out of nowhere.
Either one of the male satin bowerbirds suddenly emerged on the hardwood veranda rail.
‘Well, top of the morning to you Frodo. Howz your day going? Would you like some breakfast’?
He doesn’t take rhetorical questions lightly. ‘I know you have a stash here somewhere’.
His body language is just so conspicuous.
‘Hurry, a magpie could ambush at any time’.
And so it began. A fruitful friendship for all of us laid ahead.
We all agreed on the following rules. As long as I supply a nutritional diet, the fellowship will appear from time to time to cash in.
It’s fair to say that everyone hit the jackpot.
The birds made themselves at home along the patio.
This stands for a tremendous act of faith from all participants.
To my delight, the bowerbirds weren’t the only ones, who endorsed to terms and conditions.
Word spread quickly within the shire as new guests arrived. The veranda rail became a theatre stage on its own. I was smiling.
My ever-changing bower prevailed as the hub of the hood.
All residents of middle earth dropped in for a visit. They appeared in all shapes and sizes.
Zoe and her cute offspring, Joey, hopped by more and more often.
She too has been extremely timid not so long ago.
Who can blame her with such gorgeous cargo.
He spends a good amount of time out of the pouch, as the next generation is already in process.
Magpies used their fly-bys for a snaccident. They too have hungry beaks to fill.
Ducks? Well, they are just ducks doing what ducks do.
These three mischiefers in particular.
The mating season is in full swing.
‘Sunshine the White’ cleared the district rather quickly. Size does matter.
As ‘Chester the Gray’ pondered on.
What a show!
I could never predict who would enter the spotlight next.
Love it.
Love it.
Loving it.
Travels with Ben 