Spock and Persephone have had a busy morning.  I filled the birdfeeder
a couple of days ago, using wild bird seed mix.  No-one found it until
a moderately large flock (15 to 20 birds) of red-browed finches
discovered it this morning.  This is what red-browed finches look like
- http://www.birdphotos.com.au/redbrowedfinchweb/index.htm or
http://tinyurl.com/kbdnf

They are quite tiny birds, but *very* charismatic and bouncy.  It
seems that one bird will dominate the centre of the feeder (just a
suspended dish), and the other birds will bounce around taking turns
at raiding the edges of the feeder.  Every now and then the ownership
of the centre will change and the argument starts all over again.
They have a soft, high pitched "pfeeet" call.  

Spock was having a lovely time singing at them in his suprisingly tiny
voice.  

Persephone, the lion in the grass (or maybe the lazy lump in the
corner) figured that she doesn't have to actually stand up to watch
birds, and is remaining streadfastly curled up on her cushion in the
corner so that she can doze off in quiet moments (i.e. when the birds
are elsewhere).  I wonder if she resents the noise of their "pfeet"
keeping her awake?

Spock nearly turned inside-out a little later when a pair of georgous
rainbow lorikeets arrived (temporarily chasing away the finches).
It's the first time we've seen these guys at our feeder.  This is what
they look like http://home.iprimus.com.au/readman/rainbow.htm or
http://tinyurl.com/zyo7w

They didn't hang around for long - just long enough to help themselves
to the remaining pumpkin seeds in the mix, and then they returned to
the trees.  

Me? I've thoroughly enjoyed watching these pretty, charismatic and
wild birds visit us, but I've also enjoyed the time when Spock was
sufficiently distracted to leave me, and my sewing project, alone!

Tish