It's like an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The owner of the house feeds native birds, and I have continued to do so.  Most days, I have a line up of butcher birds seeking food.  One, an adult, is a regular visitor and as he/she has a growing bald patch on his head. It brings his two babies - although they are growing babies and are about the same size of their parents, though the feathers have been grey rather than black.

The babies are learning to eat out of my hand, though some are still tentative and a bit nervous at times.  With the weather, all that rain - the birds are a little more hungry and demanding, and have been coming more than once for a feed each day.

One of the 'babies' is rather cheeky - so we call him/her Cheeky.  He's often at the door or window peering in hoping to make me take pity and feed him again.  He's cute and follows me around the house - if I am in the bedroom he/she will often be on the deck sitting on the back of an out door chair peeking at me.  If I go back to the other end of the house, hey presto he/she is there too.  Waiting, and hoping.

The other day Cheeky took a few steps into the house but I saw the cheeky bird and I clapped my hands and it retreated.

Today though, we had a new venture.  I was sitting writing, reading - doing my university work, and I listened to the singing of Cheeky.  He had been fed - a couple of times actually, and I was not going to go give him any more, despite the delightful singing that I was treated to.

I didn't see him.  I heard him first as the bird hit the window trying to get out.  Flying from one wall to the other, I feared Cheeky would injure himself, so I grabbed a tea towel and threw it over him, and managed to catch him.  I clasped my hands around my feathered friend as it panicked and tried to peck at me, but I managed to hold him in a way that made it difficult.

Cheeky

Cheeky and friends.

One of the lorikeets

I carefully took him to the doorway and he flew off - right up to a tree nearby.  However, he returned within an hour.

I remember the other day, Baldy really punished on of the babies - I think it was Cheeky, and I can only guess what the problem is.  I have a feeling that Cheeky has not been concentrating on his parent's lessons about finding food.  He's lazy and think I will feed him all the time.

With the rains we've had visits from some lorikeets. They too are pretty cheeky - especially since I have fed them their special food.  I will have to watch that they don't try and invade the house.

Two magpies also appear - but they tend to be rather aloof, and take a little food.  They are not greedy like the butcher birds.

One lone kookaburra sometimes arrives and it will eat out of my hand too.  The owner told me that one day she found a kookaburra sitting on the end of her bed.  Now that would be interesting.