Kevin Palmer, Lessons from a Pardalote (Animal & Nature 2021)

I spent a number of hours on multiple visits, over many weeks laying still in a culvert, watching a hidden nesting entrance of this pair of Pardalote. For obvious reasons they enter and exit very quickly. I was careful not to make my observation and activity too obvious to the patrolling Kookaburras in the area. Pretending to be looking elsewhere at times or writing in my journal when they were watching me.  When I would leave I would put some water in some bark to apologise to mum and dad for the intrusion.  On my second to last visit they seemed to start teaching me Pardalote (weirdly).  The various calls for coming home with food or "coming in quickly there is a threat". Then to "I'm taking out the trash" or 'I'm fearful to leave the hollow". Today after so many weeks there was little left to say, but thank you and goodbye.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.