six times the love

Last Friday morning I went on a field trip to my in-laws house. They live in Phoenix and had told us about some cute little visitors they spotted in their yard. I got there early, hoping to catch sight of them. They had seen them before I got there, but were gone when I arrived. My mother-in-law feared that I had missed them by about 15 minutes.

But, I patiently and quietly waited... with my camera ready just in case. I didn't have to wait long. This little guy came in and landed right in the palm tree where they have been living for awhile.

They are Peach Faced Lovebirds.

When my in-laws first saw them, there were just a pair. Then they noticed there were babies and they have been getting bigger right before their eyes. Just a few days before, they had noticed them flying back and forth between the tops of the two palm trees. The parents were nudging them out of the "nest".

Less then a minute after the first one landed, four more swooped in at the same time.

How. cool. is. that?
Their bodies are a pretty green. Their faces are peach or "rosy". They are also called a Rosy Faced Lovebird because of that. But their tails are something all together more amazing. They are bright turquoise! Look, these cuties were kind enough to turn around for us to see their pretty tails.
They are a small parrot, native to arid regions in Southern Africa. People raise them in their homes as pets. So, why here in Arizona, in the city, in the palm trees? Because escapees from captivity are frequent in many parts of the world and feral birds dwell in Arizona. Here, they are more commonly know as a Mexican Lovebird. They are a very social bird and congregate in small groups in the wild. Lovebirds are known for their sleep position, sitting side-by-side, turning their faces toward each other.

Here is another shot of the beautiful tail feathers. Don't forget you can click on any of these photos and they will enlarge for you.

We watched these five for quite awhile. They chattered back and forth with each other.
Suddenly, I noticed there were six. See the one at the bottom? Now very closely look up above him a little. About two layers up you can see a little peach head hiding.

Six little love birds playing in a tree.
I pulled back on my zoom because there was a little something else that had been sitting up in the tree too. Can you spot it?
A big fat pigeon. My mother-in-law says he usually hangs out with the doves. She had never seen him this high up in the tree. Extremely friendly pigeon or just wishing he would fit in?
Here are all six of them. It was hard to tell which ones were the babies because they had grown so quickly. Just several days earlier she said the babies were much smaller than the parents. The one down at the bottom is probably a baby because research says...the young one's faces are lighter in color.
Here is one practicing it's flying.
These two are well camouflaged in the tree. I imagine that these birds often go unnoticed in people's yards.
Hello pretty bird.
Hello to you too.
Here they are on the fruit that hangs from the trees. Since I read that they like to feed on seeds and berries, I assume that they probably snack on these little fruits.

And because they like seeds and berries, they have also been eating the seed that my father-in-law puts in his bird feeder. I also read that they like to drink water that people will put out for them. So, Grandpa Johnny...keep giving them your little fruit and berry mixture AND put out a little water feeder for them too. They might just stay around a little longer!
How cute are they?
My bird field trip was very enjoyable. Especially since I got breakfast and an early lunch.

Can't get much better than that!