We have put several feeders and two bird baths on our little deck. As a result, we are now thoroughly entertained everyday by a variety of birds that come to avail of the food and services.

I am surprised at how much bathing the birds actually do. I guess flying around is a sweaty and dirty task.

We have three main types of birds. I believe they are three families that live nearby. The various types of lorikeets, parrots, parrakeets and cockatoos generally bond for life, which can be a long time. The Galahs, for example can live up to 80 years in captivity and more than 40 in the wild.

One family is the Crested Pigeon. They make the most unusual squeeking noise with their wings when they take off. They usually stop on the tree first and have a look at us.

We also have a family of Galahs. They are rather more timid than the other birds, despite being several sizes larger than some of the other visitors.

Another regular set of visitors are the Rainbow Lorikeets. They tend to shoo off the other birds and keep the food for themselves.

As their name suggests, they are spectacularly coloured birds.