To fly in the order of your standing

[Con Boekel <>]

In Regency England (as at other times and other places) one entered the
dining room for dinner in strict order of precedence, starting with the
king/queen, then members of the royal family, through dukes and so on
and so forth to the least of mortals. (Austenites will know frequent
examples of this in Austen's oeuvre).


Over the past few days I have spent some time in the grevilleas section
of the ANBG with a view to taking images of birds.


In line with Lowe, the honeyeaters have been furiously chasing each
other in an intra- and inter-specific orgy of aggression in and around
the al fresco grevillear dining room


One imagines that sorting the Regency England dining order of precedence
was rather more polite.


Nevertheless, the species-level order of precedence amongst the ANBC
honeyeaters is clear: Red Wattlebird, New Holland Honeyeater,
Yellow-faced Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, and thence to the
lowest of the low, the Eastern Spinebill.


Noisy Miners, for reasons of their own, appear to be saving the ANBG for
dessert.


Crescent Honeyeaters and White-eared Honeyeaters were heard in the
vicinity but were not seen to lower themselves by engaging in the
disorderly brouhaha.


Attached is an image of  Yellow-faced Honeyeater making like a
hummingbird. Note the pollen that can just be seen on the forehead.


regards

Con

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