Satin Bowerbird and bower

It’s not every day that bits of rubbish are used so creatively, and that I leave where they are rather than popping them into the nearest bin.

Satin Bowerbird’s bower
1/80, f/8.0, ISO 1600

A friend mentioned this bower to me, so I went walkabout with two lovely family members and we managed to find it – thank you all.

Female Satin Bowerbirds build loose nests of sticks that can be up to 35m up a tree but before they get as far as egg-laying there is a lot of work undertaken by the male birds. The stick ‘stage’ is built by the male who carefully creates walls of sticks and decorates the area with blue items. This bowerbird has used bottle tops, straws, Crimson Rosella feathers, string and pieces of plastic among his collection.

The breeding season for Satin Bowerbirds is generally from September to February but male birds maintain their bowers throughout the year. If a female appears during the breeding season the male will put on a grand display, with exaggerated movements including stretching their wings, bowing and quivering while whistling and buzzing. If the female is charmed by his bower and behaviour then mating will take place in the ‘bed’ of sticks.

Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
1/640, f/5.6, ISO 3200

Satin Bowerbirds are stunning. Females and young birds look similar and are known as ‘green birds’. The detail of their feathers and the blueness of their eyes is exquisite; I am mesmerised by the beauty of the bird above.

They feed mainly on fruit which is supplemented with insects during the breeding season and with leaves during winter. They measure about 30cm and weigh about 200g.

Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
1/640, f/5.6, ISO 2500

Male Satin Bowerbirds develop their dimorphic colouring between the ages of 5 and 7 years. The image above was taken several years ago but is one of the only shots I have of an adult male – I think I need to hide myself in the bushes near the bower and update my male Satin Bowerbird shots.

I was interested to find out what these birds used as decorative items before their world gave them so many man-made options. According to information on the Australian Museum webpage, in areas away from human habitation they use predominantly blue parrot feathers and brown snail shells.

Happy birding

Kim

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Season of Shame Update: This year’s opening weekend was quieter than last year but still saw shooters firing before the designated time. Many native waterbirds were killed and injured, including protected species, and many regional Victorians were traumatised. Rescuers were out in huge numbers to seek out wounded and abandoned birds.

Please sign and share this petition to add as many names as possible to the 60,000 who are calling for the Victorian duck shooting season to be banned: Animals Australia Petition

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