Tui Magic

This is not a great photo but I wanted to record something I have never seen before. Tuis are nectar feeding birds although they are also supposed to eat the occasional insect and I have seen them do it. But I have never seen them eating fruit.

I put apples out for the silver eyes and was amazed to see this tui going hard out at the apple - even though their full jar of sugar water was within wing stretch. I have been feeding them for a few years and have never seen that happen before.

I am beginning to realise tuis are very intelligent birds. They sit in the pongas peering in the kitchen windows when their jar is empty. This morning a tui waiting its turn at the feeder appeared to notice me watching at the window and flew over to hover just the other side of the glass. It did this twice, while my heart was in my mouth scared it would hit the glass. Then, as I moved into the next room, it followed me from window to window eventually settling on a bush next to the windowsill  where it sat peering in.

It felt like a very special moment.