Pardalote

Can be forgiven for not instantly identifying the finch or wren at the side window ledge, hopping from the magnolias to the teapot handles and back again. Websites were tunnelled, bird books flurried, but then I remembered the local Sustainable FB page reporting recent sightings: “We are being visited by a pair of spotted [pardalote]s which I have not seen for years.”  Signs include red rump feathers, white eyebrows, and markings that explain why it’s also called the diamondbird. Problem, but. This is the male who is trying to warn off another male, but actually warning off his own reflection.