New Holland Honeyeaters

The New Holland honeyeaters are back. They're a bit late this year due to the way the seasons are changing no doubt. They are slender little birds, striking with their vertically striped, very dark brown and white waistcoats and faintly striped dark backs echoing their fronts. They're swaying, bold yellow wing panels making a bright flash, on the slender twigs of the standard Iceberg rose, where the first rosy buds are just starting to unfurl into white blossom. They're noisy creatures, often in crowds, squabbling and chattering. They plunge into the bird bath then sit on nearby branches to shake and preen. White cheeked honeyeaters sometimes arrive about the same time. The only difference between the two is a large white patch below the eye. Apart from that they all seem to be part of the same argumentative cohort.