Everyone’s favourite hornbag: the Superb Fairy-wren

Summer bodies are made in winter. I keep muttering this under my breath over and over and over again hoping that it will keep me walking and prevent me from stopping at the cafe for a coffee. And a cake. And a wine. And some hot chips 🙄 True, I will already have a summer body as the warm weather rolls around and I still do, fingers crossed, have a body. But I’m hoping for a leaner, fitter one. Also I’m hoping to be able to shop in my own closet this season rather than spending money on clothes I don’t need. Plus boobs. I need smaller ones of them. Less bounce and/or slapping on my stomach would be appreciated in that area 🤣

But summer bodies are also made in winter for Superb Fairy-Wrens, if by summer you mean breeding and by winter you mean winter through to spring. The last couple of days have been very wren filled, their twittering little songs filling the air, as they bounce around on the grass and flit in and out of shrubs in their little territorial groups.

I love running into people while I’m taking photos of these lovely birds. Inevitably they come over and confirm firstly that I’m taking photos of the wrens and then comment on what sweet little birds they are. Look, I’m not one to turn down an opportunity to discuss an animal’s breeding habits (or let’s be real here, penises) and so I point out that while a male and female will pair up socially for life, sexually? Well, they both put it about. Quite a bit. They’re hornbags, if you will. Totally promiscuous, with both sexes visiting neighbouring territories just before dawn to do what you do in those early morning hours. And not, like me, watch bad TV and drink tea and wish that I could sleep. In fact, up to 75% of a female’s brood are genetically not that of her mate. Wowsers!

I noticed my very first male of the season, mid change today. I had forgotten just how damn cute they look, all scruffy, their plumage peppered with little grey/brown feathers still peeking through. I also forgot how strange it is sometimes, out in public, with people, where I heard one kid screaming loudly how his “butt won a game of soccer in the last minutes!!!” and a *cough cough* gentleman asking his lady friend if “she’d like a root ’cause I’m horny” Indeed. And so I’ll leave the Fairy-wren hornbags and the human hornbags to their own devices and I’ll just be over here, working on my summer body.

Superb Fairy-Wren

Northern Illawarra