This is Delyip or the Red-capped Parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius). It’s Latin name literally means “bastard red-head” which seems a bit harsh – perhaps the European biologist who first saw it had hang ups about red heads. This particular bird was in the Samphire Cove Nature Reserve and was a curious bird quite happy to watch me take photos of it and the other birds around us. I happen to think that Australia is fortunate to have so many wonderful looking parrots, but, unfortunately I’m in the minority and this is another bird that is classed as vermin and shot in great numbers. It seems that there is nothing that Aussie farmers won’t kill.

On a lighter note have you ever wondered why photographers used to say “watch the birdie”? Well back in the dim distant early days of photography in the mid to late Nineteenth Century camera exposures were very long and photographers would struggle to get adults to hold still for the several seconds that an exposure would take (one of the reasons why early portraits look so forced). Some photographers resorted to literally clamping a person’s head in place to hold them still. Back in 1879 a chap by the name of CW Davies trained a pet canary to sit on his camera and  sing on command. He’d then say “Watch the birdie” with the hope that the sitter would be transfixed enough to sit still while the exposure was being made. After an article about Davies in the Photographic News numerous manufacturers began producing small brass birds that would make a sound when a pneumatic bulb was squeezed. Now we’re in the 21st Century you’d have thought gadgets such as this would be consigned to the history books. Well you’d be wrong. The video below is by Gordon Laing at the CP+ 24 an international camera and photo imaging trade show which this year was held in Japan. These gadgets are obviously alive and well.