Let us love one another, for love is from God..1 John 4:7 (ESV)
My last book, “Showdown in the Umbrella Tree” saw the humour in the rivalry between the nectar loving birds on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake. Such was the drama (in the story) that the Great Creator Himself had to intervene. In the end the lorikeets and the noisy miners learned to love and respect each other.
Setting the background:
The Rainbow Lorikeets (above) and Noisy Miners (below) cause havoc when the spikes of red buds ripen in the umbrella trees. Both are native birds to Australia, both love nectar.
The little Noisy Miners could possibly be considered ugly. They don’t have the brilliant colours of the parrots, but they make up for their lack of beauty in personality. Even we humans tend to favour those who are more beautiful. Praise God, He looks at the heart!
These little birds give us lots of entertainment. They’ve taught their families to swim in our bird bath and our swimming pool. One little guy in particular is more adventurous than the others. In my book I named him Neville. He dives from our clothesline into our bird bath, not once but over and over. As a result we need to keep it topped up with water. Our little Neville is hilarious and provides us with endless entertainment.
The lorikeets are inclined to be boisterous and even bullies, even with each other! They are all intent on getting what they want, so they cause hullabaloo in the umbrella tree. Sadly humans are not much better when we see footage of New Year Sales with people running everywhere snatching what they can from tables and even other people.
So with the history of the two varieties of birds I had to laugh when I edited this photo. We have a neighbour who occasionally puts out sweet treats for the lorikeets. Here the lorikeet troops appear to be rallied, and their leader sits above giving instructions.
But look closely, and there on the railing second from the right is a little Noisy Miner – ‘hopeful Harry’ or rather ‘hopeful Neville’ – he looks as though he is thinking if he keeps a low profile no one will notice him, and he will get some of the treats. The lorikeets appear to be accepting, perhaps they learned a lesson from my story?
Perhaps it’s a reminder for us too.
Let us love one another, for love is from God..1 John 4:7 (ESV)
Blessings,
Marilyn
Note: Photos are all the work of the author exception being banner background and flag which are from Graphic Stock.com