This is the boy, and it’s hard to capture his true beauty in a photo. He is a beautiful satiny blue-black and his eyes really are that colour.
And this is the girl. She came inside to try to steal tomatoes and couldn’t figure out how to get out again. Her plumage is a dull olive but her eyes are actually more violet, like her mate’s.
They are a nuisance. They are hugely destructive in the garden, with a special partiality to broccoli or cabbage or cauli seedlings – anything with that blue tinge to the foliage. They also like peas and snow peas and tomatoes and they peck carrots right out of the ground. And they are intelligent – smart enough to Houdini their way in through fences and gates and netting. The males steal anything blue to decorate their bower – pegs, pens, lego, bottle caps – you have to be really careful not to leave anything valuable (like a sapphire earring) on a dressing table.
The female was sure I was about to take revenge, but those eyes are so beautiful, it’s hard to stay angry.
So absolutely beautiful, I hope the little bat was ok.
He disappeared, so with luck he has found his mob.