memorablemeanders.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Malachite Sunbird

When we dropped Rina off after the Father's Day lunch, we stopped in at her home for a coffee. I saw the beautiful bed of Red-hot Pokers / Kniphofia paracox in her garden. I grabbed my camera and...
...snapped away
Not long and the resident Malachite Sunbird flew into my camera view! 

This Sunbird is normally iridescent turquoise during breeding season. This plumage is called eclipse 
His tail and bill is ever so long
See the drops of nectar on his bill

I'm linking to Wild Bird Wednesday here

On a very  serious note; Ambrose (pictured below) came in today after his normal walk-about in the plot next door with serious injuries to his hind legs. I bathes the wounds with surgical spirits (he growled with pain all the way through) and then applied a very good healing powder.  I also gave him 15 drops of calming meds called "Rescue". He's sleeping peacefully now but I cannot touch his lower spine or hindquarters. 

We'll be in the city for business tomorrow and will take Ambrose along to the vet. The doctor will be able to examine him closely under light anesthetic to see if anything has been torn or even broken. The latter doesn't seem to be the case as Ambrose jumped off my bed where I'd treated him, walked across the bedroom floor and jumped up onto the chair by the window. This is where he's lying quite comfortably now as far as I can see. 

All we can think is that he was caught in the fence palisade or that a dog got hold of him (where, I cannot think as I know all the dogs around and he seems to know - and avoid the dangerous ones - them as well. Somehow he [fortunately] got away. 
Ambrose resting after the calming meds but not his normal self at all

As you know, I never post about the cats; that's Ambrose' department. So here's hoping and praying our sweet little kitty will be OK. 


8 comments:

  1. How awful, thepoor darling. I do hope he will be OK. Now that bird has a huge beak Jo Love the Red Hot Pokers

    ReplyDelete
  2. prayers for your sweet Ambrose, have not heard of the Rescue meds.. i do hope he is ok and not seriously injured. poor baby.. the bird in the red hot pokers is just AWESOME!!! I love all the photos of the red flowers, the bird brings out the red with his green shinny feathers

    ReplyDelete
  3. best wishes for Ambrose.

    Cool bird...gorgeous blooms.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Jo, I do hope your sweet Ambrose will be OK. The Sunbird is a gorgeous bird and I love the Red Hot Poker blooms, the hummers here love those plants. Have a happy day and week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Poor Ambrose. It's a good thing you are a quasi doctor, Jo. I'm sure the help you administered to Ambrose made him far more comfortable. It is perfect timing that you are on the way to the city and the vet tomorrow. The flowers and bird photographed outside Rina's place are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such vibrant colours. Wonderful captures.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous red hot pokers! And that sunbird is glorious! Poor little Ambrose...I hope the vet can figure out what is wrong and help him toward better health!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The 3rd photo is just beautiful! I love red hot pokers. Hope Ambrose will be back to his normal self soon!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your feedback. Jo