One of the main characters is their brush-tipped tongue, used for gathering nectar and pollen. The tongues of most other parrots lack this brush-tip. An exception is the swift parrot, which also feeds on nectar and pollen.

Related to their food of nectar and pollen, lorikeets have a simplified alimentary system, different from that of the seed-eating rosellas and other parrots. Other features of lorikeets are pointed wings and tails.

Australia has eight species of lorikeets, four in the Ballarat region. These are the rainbow, musk, little and purple-crowned lorikeet.

Unknown as a resident of the region 40 years ago, the rainbow lorikeet has become common, and it continues to increase and expand its range. It is now with us year-round, even when eucalypts are not flowering. Its foods extend beyond nectar and pollen to fruits and some seeds, particularly sunflower.

Musk lorikeets visit the suburbs every summer to feed from flowering eucalypts, but the little lorikeet and purple-crowned lorikeets are now uncommon in suburbia.

Their preferred habitat is the box - ironbark forests of north-central Victoria. Grey box, yellow box, yellow gum and red ironbark are among their favourite food trees.

Some wasps make nests of mud in cracks and crevices, while others burrow in sand.

Others have different nest sites. Discovery of a rubber hose-end stuffed with dry grass, has caused a reader to make further inquiries. The vertical, standard-sized hose-end, two metres up in a tree, has one long and spreading grass-head, plus numerous small dry grass pieces, filling its end.

Inquiries and research have revealed that this is the work of one of the little-known grass-carrying wasps (Isodontia).

As their name suggests, these wasps make their nests in holes - usually in wood, and not always vertical.

Instead of sealing them with mud or soil, they carry pieces of grass to block the end while their eggs and larvae are inside. On suspecting that his hose had been visited by a wasp, our correspondent wrote: "I remain puzzled as why this tiresome business of grass gathering has been undertaken. Is it thatch, or camouflage, or a bit of both?"

Checking other pictures online, we see that the result is not always camouflaged - in fact some cases attract the attention of a human observer. The work appears to be done for predator protection.

We might wonder how far the stiff grass-stems extend. How are they prevented from injuring the nest's contents?

At Lake Wendouree, I have seen two large hawks flying over the reeds in the centre. What sort are they, and how common are they?

R.F., Ballan.

The swamp harrier is the usual large hawk at Lake Wendouree. One or two can often be seen throughout the year, with most sightings in the warmer months, and mostly over the central reedbeds and islands.

The wingspan is almost 1.5m and the female is larger. The photo shows one of these birds. Another (a juvenile) is considerably darker. Two features identifying the swamp harrier are its white rump, and its wings being held in a shallow V as it glides slowly over the reeds. Other larger hawks are uncommon at Lake Wendouree, with occasional visits from whistling kite and black kite and fewer visits from others.