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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Satin bowerbirds in active bower, Wee Jasper

This bower adjacent to our accommodation at Swinging Bridge Reserve, Wee Jasper, has been active for a few years now. We visited in January 2012 and again last week.

Satin bowerbird (Chlamydera violaceus) 
Fussing over a prized feather (I suspect a rosella tail feather) ....
and performing minor renovations.

I suspect this "green bird" is an immature male. The colouring differs slightly from the female bird after the third year with the satin blue-black adult plumage evident by seven years. This bird was noticed to be making several adjustments to the bower and its associated blue adornments. I'm not sure how the family politics runs when the younger males start making adjustments to the bower!

Satin bowerbird (immature male) 
Typical Wee Jasper scene

Bird on!

5 comments:

  1. wonderful captures of a very unique bird, their bowers are amazing and the scenery there is equally beautiful Pete

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  2. Some excellent pictures and a great study, Pete. The green bird with purple eye looks like a female to me. Nice to get her digging around the bower too. I can almost breathe the air in the landscape. Wonderful.

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  3. Great captures! The dark throat on the second bird leads me to believe its a third year male. One the way back from Micalong Creek we passed a guy with a dog by the road before Swinging Bridge, he had a camera with a long lens. You?


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    1. Hey there Marj K! Classic! If he had a dog that is more likely to be Richard (http://rwsboa2011.blogspot.com.au/) but I wouldn't have been far away!
      Hmmm .. but If there were 2 dogs & the missus and it was Monday morning last week then it was me!!
      Pete

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  4. I stand corrected :) Excellent captures of the two of them. I must study more, thanks.

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