Free as a bird

The pin-tailed whydah is once again admiring itself in the window. He has been flying up to the window incessantly today, almost becoming a bit of a pest, can you believe it? The cats have been fascinated and it wouldn't take much effort for them to swipe it from the air and turn it into a gift for me, as they do with geckos, lizards, etc. The photo opportunities have been excellent, though, and here is a selection of some action shots taken by my son. It seems as though a lot of flying is done with folded wings and this would account for its swooping, bobbing flight pattern. How it didn't fall exhausted to the ground, I don't know. It is still at it while I write!