Juvenile Eastern Spinebill enjoying some garden pollen
Eastern Spinebill juvenile feeding on flowers
Canon EOS R1 with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 2500, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/2500])
In Narooma, the house is very close to a mature nature reserve, so many birds fly the short distance to the garden where there is a pond and bird bath. These sources of water are very popular with the small birds, especially in summer, and I am easily distracted by the myriad of small birds flying around. Whenever I am in the garden, especially in the warmer months, I try to always have a camera with me.
One day in December 2025, this juvenile Eastern Spinebill was exploring the garden. I had seen it around over a few days, sometimes with one of its parents. The bird was not really worried about my presence and would often land on branches very close by, allowing me to pick up a lot of detail on its plumage. Even though a parent would sometimes feed it, the juvenile was also sourcing its own food. It seemed to really like the exotic Parrot Lilies, and I was very happy to get the above picture that shows the grains of pollen from the flower on the bird and in the air around it. Understandably, the juvenile was struggling with the lilies occasionally. In the bottom right photo, you can see the bird’s tongue is going through the flower, and not picking up pollen. Also, if you look closely at the top middle image, you may notice an ant on the bird’s neck. One of the risks of extracting sweet pollen and nectar from flowers.
