My verandah railing was obviously the watching point for feeding time by the previous owners, and the pigeons, brush turkeys and lorikeets took a few weeks to realise that I was not going to be doing the same.
Only the lorikeets have kept trying their luck.
There were hundreds of lorikeets at my old place, noisily loving the paperbark blossoms. But I rarely saw them still and up so close.
Their colours are ridiculously bright and beautiful, compensation for their unmusical screeching.
In the recent wet week, pairs have taken to sheltering on the verandah. While there, they take it in turns to preen each other.
I know it was likely fleas they were after, but it seemed affectionate and charming, to be mutually grooming even when their feathers were somewhat bedraggled and damp.