Little birds and more ....

I have a few more little birds for you today.

First a Saffron Finch; a small colourful bird from the tanager family.

Originally from South America the species has been introduced to Hawaii.

Below is an adult and a youngster.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall....."

Bath time for the kids.

They can often be seen foraging for seeds on the ground.

Very handsome birds, sadly I think they are also popular as caged birds.

One last look:

This is a House Sparrow or English Sparrow and was introduced to Hawaii from New Zealand in the 17 C. He looks to be striding purposefully somewhere.

And finally a Japanese White-eye, a tiny bird originally from South East Asia that was introduced to Hawaii early in the 20 C. 

Next here is a large bug I saw. If you hate insects scroll quickly through the next few pictures.

A Praying Mantis came for a visit:

It was easily 6 inches long and we noticed it on the railing of our lanai one evening.

Fascinating, but I didn't want to get too close.

Here is view from a different angle:

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OK, you can open your eyes again now!

I have been busy painting this week and have two new watercolours to show you.

Neither photograph is very good, this one I had already framed (under glass) and didn't remove it from the frame to take a picture.

This is inspired by a photo I took in Lyon, France of an interior courtyard in an older part of the city.

"Le Chat Curieux"

"Basque Pathway"

Again not the best photo. This one was inspired by a photo I took on a walk up from the beach in southwestern France.

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Sometimes I find something on YouTube that I just have to share.

Here is "Stairway to Heaven" flash mob style:

I wish I had been in that square, to see and hear it live.

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Thanks for stopping by,

happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

Gillian

A little sunshine?

Today I am offering a little bit of sunshine on a cloudy/rainy day in the form of  some beautiful little birds I photographed in Hawaii.

Fresh from my camera:

 

I was on the Hilo side of the island (Hawaii) when I encountered this lovely little bird.

 

It is yellow, so must be a canary, right, well maybe?

 

But it is known as a saffron Finch in Hawaii.

 

The Saffron Finch is a small tanager, introduced to Hawaii, originating in South America.

 

 

 

 

It has a vibrant yellow body and orange crown, below is the reverse view, can you believe this little guy turned his back on me?

 

 

 

Here is the male Saffron Finch with a juvenile in the background.

 

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest...........

 

 

 

I just love the reflections.

 

They are about 5.5 to 6 inches long and they seem to be ground feeders, eating seeds and small insects. 

 

Against the grass they are well camouflaged.

 

 

 

Bath time, two juvenile Saffron Finches enjoy a puddle of water....

 

...under the watchful eye of the adult Finch.

 

 

 

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Another yellow bird, is it a Canary? No this one is a Japanese White Eye.

It has a yellow throat but the head is a green colour and the body a buff colour.

 

I caught sight of this little fellow on a Bird of Paradise plant and was able to get a few pictures before it vanished.

 

This is another introduced bird and it is a little smaller than the Saffron Finch.

It is a passerine.

 

 

"This small green passerine, introduced from Japan to the Hawaiian Islands in 1929, spread quickly to all the main islands and successfully invaded forests from sea level to the highest reaches of the mountains, rapidly becoming the most abundant and widespread passerine in the archipelago.

 

White-eyes are commonly observed throughout the islands in both urban and pristine native habitats, in small flocks gleaning insects or gathering fruit and nectar from shrubs and understory subcanopy vegetation." https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/487/articles/introduction

 

Well that is my offering of sunshine for today.

 

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New from my studio:

 

An ink and watercolour painting called "Hearts of Stone":

 

This appears darker than the original, I will have to take a better picture the next time the sun comes out!

 

 

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That's all I have for you this week, happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

 

Gillian.