Rainbow lorikeets can be such bruisers, but this pair turn me into a cartoon princess | Johanna Roberts as told to Alyx Gorman

<p>The day I moved into my apartment, the birds appeared on the balcony. Now they sit on my arm every time I come outside</p><ul><li><p>See more <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/australian-bird-of-the-year-2025">Australian bird of the year</a> content</p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>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.</p><p>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.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/30/rainbow-lorikeets-bruisers-this-pair-turn-me-into-cartoon-princess">Continue reading...</a>