Eastern Rosella

I managed to get these stunning shots of some eastern rosella yesterday when they landed in the top of a golden elm just off the corner of our house. I heard them chattering away so raced upstairs with my camera and was able to get a clear view of this pair from our bedroom window.

Eastern rosella have now become well established in Taranaki following their introduction in Auckland (around 1920) and in Wellington (around 1960). We have been seeing them increasingly in our garden with a small flock of 6 to 8 birds now seeming to be in permanent residence. They have a wide variety of calls and we can often hear them chattering away in the middle of the trees even though we can't see them.

They seem to mainly feed on buds and seeds and can be quite messy feeders knocking a lot of new bud and blossom off as they are feeding. During spring the tui are constantly chasing them out of the cherry trees.

I'm generally opposed to introduced birds just on principal but I have to admit that the rosella are so beautifully colourful that I love seeing them around the garden - despite the damage they cause to new bud.

The white background on these is because I was looking into an overcast sky. It was a bit tricky getting the exposure right but I must say I'm really pleased with the results. These shots will make great wall art.