Adelaide Rosella

Rower2012 is going away next week, and is taking the big camera and long lens with him. While he was packing he kept coming up with all sorts of things - like, oh by the way, I've got this 2 x converter for the long lens, would you like to try it? (Oh, for heavens sake - would I? Of course I would).

And... why don't you get a handbook for your own camera (the 60D). Oh, hang on a minute - so he goes up stairs and comes back down again, book in hand and says "I got this for you last time I was in USA and forgot to give it to you". AARGH.

Anyway, the upshot of all the drama was that I've been trying to capture a Rosella for several weeks, and most of the images I got weren't good enough, because the lens wasn't long enough. So today..... I waited and waited with the long lens and the 2 x extender. And here is the result.

All Rosellas of this colour are strictly Crimson Rosellas, but this is a kind of sub-species known as the Adelaide Rosella. It has an orange chest and belly rather than crimson. I think it's a bit smaller as well, but it's a bit hard to tell.

This is quite different from the Eastern Rosella which is slighter larger and has white cheek patches instead of lilac. I might get one of those as the weather gets a bit warmer. Also they aren't so common.