Certainties are rare… Yet when it comes to living, certainty is anything but predictable. The only thing we can be certain about is change. We plan and strive for our dreams… we find ways to mitigate risks… but only Our God can see the future in our lives.
Uncertainties have the potential to create fear and anxiety… But uncertainties can also lead to hope… and growth…
With uncertainty we find ourselves immersed in the world of change… Exciting and challenging! Inspiring and scary! Serendipitous and amazing! Embracing the variables that make life so unpredictable!! Incorporating these variables into our lives and plans while never losing sight of our dreams and purpose! Never losing sight of ourselves and love shared!
… so with all this philosophical thinking, the one certainty Juliet and I have found about Variables…. Is how predictable they are.... At least under the Bottlebrush….
We have found the Variable Sunbird (Cinnyris venustus) to be the most common sunbird we have seen throughout our travels in Kenya. They never seem to mind us as they go about their daily lives! Juliet even claims that they follow me everywhere I go… Seeking attention… begging a photograph as they pose!
Forcing our attention to ignore other birds, such as this Streaky Seedeater (Crithagra striolata) on the following branch...
The colors of the Variable are.... well... variable.
Our reading indicates three races of the species with varying shades of violet, blue, yellow and white on their breasts and bellies. All of the mature males display bright iridescent green heads blending towards their backs into olive green wings.
As the mature males move in and out of the sun, colors change from bright green to blue, but always with a beautiful metallic hue vividly contrasting to a yellow or cream belly.
Our Variables can cover the bottlebrush with as many as twenty or more at a time searching for sweet nectar and an occasional small insect.
When we first saw this sunbird, we thought this may be a different species. The blotchy iridescence and brilliant aqua blue tail befuddled our identification until further research, and the fact they were socially active with other Variables, helped us recognize him as an immature male. His tail feathers will eventually turn darker and his blotchy head will turn bright green though the season.
Unlike several other "collared" species, the mature male Variable shows one broad color across his breast sometimes blending a rainbow pallet of the blue spectrum... from dark orchid violet to shining cyan.
Like many other sunbirds, the Variable female is a less vivid olive color with creamy yellow to yellow belly and breast. About the same size as the male, the only way we can distinguish them from other female sunbirds or the larger Olive Sunbird (Cyanomitra olivacea) is that they are hanging out with the identifiable males. Like the males, female Variables are just as friendly, seemingly asking to be photographed.
We enjoy the possibility that our friends and family might visit us here in Kenya some day, with the certainty of a lifetime experience. They will see exotic life and colors that are truly unique to this part of the world. However, we will never promise the guarantee of seeing a specific animal or species of bird. The probability may be good... but not guaranteed...
Except maybe... the certainty of the Variable.... Sunbird that is... Under the Bottlebrush...
Beautiful pics!