zingiber zerumbet

I woke very early one morning and went for a run on the beach and a swim in the pool. Got back to the hotel room before 7am and, as it was still too early for breakfast, I went outside to draw. 

I was drawing the purple flower (above, left) when I became aware that a bird I'd been able to hear was suddenly very close to me. I looked around and about a metre away from me was the most strikingly beautiful bird drinking nectar from one of the red flowers above. It had a bright yellow breast, blue colouring on the head, and purple flashes on it's wings. Having looked on the internet subsequently, I think it might have been one of these – an olive-backed sunbird.

As I said, he was drinking from the red flower in the sketchbook spread above (which I've since discovered has the wonderful name of zingiber zerumbet or the rather more prosaic shampoo ginger). He stuck his long beak into the orange part of the flower then opened his beak, in the process opening the flower, in order to get to the nectar inside. Superb.

UniPin fineliner and Winsor & Newton watercolours in 190 x 250 mm Seawhite sketchbook.