"I See You"

This "I See You" is in our Jabuticaba tree in our back yard.



He has a drink of water many times each day.




He is very much aware of me and the camera all the time.




Sometimes he just sits and watches me. He is puffed up because he eats the dog food on our verandah . But his favourite foods are the nuts in the Restaurant Tree and the Jabuticaba Berries.The "I See You" or "Great Kiskadee" (Bem-te-vi in Portuguese) is one of the most beautiful and attractive birds in South America. The popular name "Bem-te-vi" comes from the three notes in its singing that sound like "I've Seen You" .

To the "Tupi" (native Indian tribe) it sounded like "Nei-Nei"; to the "Guarani" (another Indian tribe) it sounded like "Pitangua".




Here is one in a tree in front of our house.





Here is another on the power lines.








We call this the Restaurant Tree because so many different birds feed there all day. They all love these nuts. The I See You come in early morning frm about 5:00 to 8:00, and again in late afternoon, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30. There are many there and they make a loud racket. They seem to be having a great party every day.



This couple visit our Jabuticaba trees in the back yard. They are there every day





This is a small one, probably quite young.




They are very distinctive with their yellow breast and black mask.






Sometimes they are difficult to see even when out in the open like on this roof.







Every morning I am wakened by the I See You's singing. Our bedroom window looks out on the Jabuticaba trees and several I See You's greet the sunrise every morning. Their voices are quite loud so we do not need alarm clocks.

They truly are very beautiful.



Photos by Urso Branco