The blue eared sparling of South Africa sits on a branch, cleaning its feathers as rain pours down from above.

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   Geoffrey Giebelhaus (geoff_eg@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 07-Sep-2025 06:07:32 JST Geoffrey Giebelhaus

   When I first saw this bird I was absolutely taken aback - it was stunning. The shimmer of blue on its feathers, highlights of greens and purples. Just a gorgeous bird!

   Of course, I got laughed at after finding out that this Sparling is effectively the crow of #SouthAfrica. So common that to most it is but a nuisance.

   It reminded me of Magpies back home, or even Pigeons. Birds that would be of high aesthetic praise if they were more rare.

   #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #nature #birds