The day I moved into my apartment, I was busy negotiating boxes and these birds just appeared on the balcony. They were like a little gang. Rainbow lorikeets can be such bruisers, so it felt like it was either a welcoming committee or a protection racket. There were so many of them, I worried it might become a lorikeet version of Hitchcock’s The Birds. The previous owners must have been feeding them, so I think they were just waiting for signs of life to emerge again.
‘One day I walked out to put some seeds on the balcony and they just flew on to my hand.’ Photograph: Johanna Roberts/Guardian
Within a couple of weeks, it became apparent that there were two lorikeets who had claimed my balcony as their area. They started turning up together two or three times a day when I was working from home and on the weekend.
Initially they would just sit on the balcony and, in tiny little inside voices, they’d politely chirp to indicate their arrival. I would come out, say hi to them and give them a little bit of sunflower seed, because I’m a real sucker.
Though they remained very polite, they started becoming bolder. One day I walked out to put some seeds on the balcony and they just flew on to my hand. Now they come and sit on my arm if I go out on to the balcony – it’s a cartoon princess scenario.
I’m not afraid of lorikeets – they can be very loud but they’re also very small – so I was delighted the first time one hopped on my arm.
Sometimes they do try to come into my house, which I am not a fan of. I think they just know I’m a soft touch and decided to take advantage of it. They don’t do it all the time but sometimes – I think if they feel I’m not giving them enough attention and the door is open because the weather is lovely – they try to walk in. The first time I tried to usher them out, instead of being deterred one of them actually just hopped on my jumper and walked right up on to my shoulder.
‘It’s so nice to have these guys that turn up when they want to, on their own schedule.’ Photograph: Johanna Roberts/Guardian
Fortunately they are very food-motivated, so I have been able to lure them back outside by pretending I have seeds in my hand. I hope that continues to work.
I’ve chosen to live alone and deliberately don’t have pets because I like to be able to go places, so having free-range pets is actually the best. It’s so nice to have these guys that turn up when they want to, on their own schedule, provide a bit of company and a bit of colour, but also manage themselves.
My nieces and nephews really love the novelty of having birds appear on the balcony too. It’s a bit of excitement for them when they come over, which is very cute.
When I was a kid, one of the highlights of going on holidays down the coast was the fact that lorikeets would turn up and hang out. They were always around, and it was such a big part of the holiday experience. The idea that I get to have this beach holiday feeling from my own balcony at home is really lovely, and such an unexpected bonus of the neighbourhood. Back then, my favourites were always the rosellas. Just don’t tell my lorikeets that.
Even though lorikeets are real screamers, they are beautiful. The guys who come to my balcony are so funny. They will hop up and down in front of the window to get my attention, or sit on the door handle and perform little acrobatic tricks. I find them endlessly watchable.
