Monday, September 13, 2010


This is a Cairns birdwing butterfly. I saw one yesterday, and another this morning, both in my host family's yard. They're quite large, maybe 8 or 10 centimetres.

I've also been seeing a lot of beautiful little olive-backed sunbirds, but I can't find a license-free photo of one to post. They always fly up to the window of my room, hover for a few seconds, and fly off. They're only a bit larger than hummingbirds, and they move just as fast. They have bright yellow stomachs with brownish-yellow backs and long, curved beaks. The males also have a bright, metallic blue patch under their throats.

2 comments:

  1. love the pic of you and the pig and what a beautiful butterfly- you look and sound great- love, E

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  2. Amazing insects! That's the little piglet I met, isn't it, the one who had to get antibiotics?

    I will look for olive-backed sunbird pictures. Good ol' google images!!

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