Sweet is the nectar that the little sunbirds and Cape sugarbirds enjoy flitting around the garden.
Sweet Nectar
Nature on the Edge
Wildlife photography along the urban edge
Sweet is the nectar that the little sunbirds and Cape sugarbirds enjoy flitting around the garden.
Nature on the Edge 
Wow stunning garden visitors.
Thanks – these visitors we so adore! They flit around showing off their brilliance in flashing colours.
they are very beautiful. What is in the bottle?
These little sunbirds have amazing colour combinations. I use a product which has a mix – sucrose, glucose and fructose with a probiotic which was specifically designed for their needs. A couple of drops of red food colourant attracts them to the bottles. There are fewer flowers out now with the drought really kicking in hard putting the vegetation under strain.
Lovely images!
Thank you 😊.
Beautiful visitors and beautifully captured. I wish we had such colourful birdies 🙂
Yes we’re lucky here – the eastern hemisphere’s species to the western’s hummingbird. 😎
Winged jewels!
That they are!! Their iridescent colours are magnificent!
Hi Liz
Do you know the name of the plant in your fourth picture?
The one with the pinkish flowers?
A few years back I spotted one growing outside a complex in JHB. I grew one from slip but I have no idea what it is and have never seen another one in my area.
Regards
Dave
Hi Dave, it’s a Salvia leucantha – I think the ‘Midnight’ variety. Though we have indigenous local species – 26 in Southern Africa, this one I believe is off Mexican origin. A perennial, hardy and drought resistant. Rewarding too to grow from slip. The sunbirds love the nectar.
They’re like sweet little jewels themselves.
Yes that they are! Little jewels and in such a gorgeous array of iridescent colour. I have yet to get photos that truly define that depth of colour and variation. Like the nap of silk woven cloth which catches light differently in varying angles 🙂
As it is still late winter here in the US, this is such a pleasure to see – pure eye candy!
It certainly lifts the spirit 🙂 the pure exuberance of the flowers in full bloom is a treat. Glad it brightened up your winter’s day, Annette.