Silvereye

I haven't seen these dear little birds for a long time, but today they were flitting around the maple tree, possibly attracted by the tiny red flowers.
It was raining all day, but they seemed oblivious. It did mean that the larger birds stayed away.
It seems they are native but self introduced to other countries, to the extent that they are now considered native. 
In New Zealand, for example, they self introduced in the 1830s.
I was wondering how they introduced themselves, thinking they'd maybe stowed away on a steamer, but the theory is that they got swept up in high winds in storms and taken to these new lands. Just as amazing!
They're very quick, but I managed to spot a few in time, even with a relatively low shutter speed.
I was wondering if Angry Birds might be modelled on the silvereye, but apparently they're based on the American goldfinch


I was worrying about the presentation at photo group this morning, but it went well, after all.
Adrienne was right when she suggested that the rest of the group would know even less:)