Bird of the Week: Bowerbirds

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Holly
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Bird of the Week: Bowerbirds

Hi all, apologies for not getting the new Bird of the Week up yesterday. After driving about 1700km to Coffs and back for a BirdLife congress on the weekend I was pretty exhausted and didn't even turn my computer on!

 

Still, lets get back to it. This week's theme is Bowerbirds - lets see what great photos come out...

Araminta
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This is the only photo of a male Bowerbird I have, so enjoy.

DSC00483 (2)

M-L

Karen
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Wow, the gleam lighting up those feathers!  A lovely photo.  I never see these birds around here, unfortunately.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

Araminta
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Thanks Karen. My photo is still the only one, and it's Wednesday. I'm sure other members have some photos?  Make an effort people!

M-L

soakes
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I'm pretty sure I've never seen one.  Looking at their distribution map I was surprised to find that they should be present in Gippsland.

(Holly, can you please put in links to fact sheets when you create these threads? Like so:)

- soakes

soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia

cathshane

We  havent had any luck with getting any shots of the male but here is a couple of the female. Ours were taken in Warburton. If anyone know the fruit she is eating we would love to know.

Holly
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Good idea soakes thanks

 

I am having to get more creative with the themes. I don't want to leave people out. Am thinking of implementing some colour and habitat themes soon to mix things up...

 

 

 

Araminta
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Hi soakes, mine was taken at a friend's place just outside of Gembrook (Vic), and I know other people near Berwick ( Upper Beaconsfield Vic) who have them nesting in their garden. So they are around here.

M-L

tritsch
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My apologies for the quality of the photo, but I managed to get a shot of the visitor I was puzzled about and queried on the forum. I finally realised it was a female bower bird not seen before in my garden.  The most interesting thing is that when I see it on the bird table, it's now a regular visitor, the colour of its eyes are brown if anything, yet in the photos they are this bright blue.  Has anyone else seen this and can anyone explain it?   

Tony T

Araminta
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Hi Tony, did you take the photo through the window on a grey day? If you have a look at the rest of the photo, even the fence and the edges of what the bird sits on , have a blue tinge.

( but can I ask a question? What is it that you are feeding the birds? )

M-L

tritsch
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No the photo was taken through a gap in the curtains with the sliding glass door and fly screens open. It was still dull about 7.30am and I'm probably about 2 metres from the birdtable.  What I find interesting is that some of the photos of the females on websites show eyes as blue and my olde Readers Digest book describes the eyes as lilac-blue yet other photos and as I said looking at the bird live both my wife and myself say that the eyes look nondescript brownish.

Yes you caught me, food tends to be mince and various other stuff, bacon rind, some bread, the last couple of days I've had a stock of crusts from an overcatered for CWA lunch 

Having now read the instruction book for my wife's camera I will try again one morning 

Tony T

Araminta
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I was just guessing, and I shouldn't say anything about those females, I have only seen the male in my photo. For some reason I think Cath&Shane's female bird has blue eyes to.

Tony, please read about feeding bread (and those other things) to birds , there is a lot of information about this on the net. You might want to reconsider.

Looking forward to more photos.

M-L

Owen1
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I only have an ordinary shot from Lamington, Qld. I would love to improve on my Bowerbird shots and they're only 2 hours up the road.

Cheers, Owen.

Araminta
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You call that ordinary Owen? Hmmm? I call that a great photo.

M-L

joanraubs
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Beautiful photo!!!!!the colours are amazing

JR

GeorgeP
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G'day everyone, I haven't uploaded for a while, so here's my contribution. First one is a Satin Bowerbird from O'Reilly's and the second is a Regent Bowerbird from the same location. Third one is a Spotted Bowerbird from Bowra Station.

Cheers,

George
Melbourne, VIC

GeorgeP
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Regent Bowerbird.

Cheers,

George
Melbourne, VIC

GeorgeP
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... and Spotted Bowerbird.

Cheers,

George
Melbourne, VIC

Karen
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Owen, so good to see the details of her markings in your pic. 

George, I've never seen pics of the 3 different types like that, so I never really appreciated the differences.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

WendyK
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None in my neck of the woods I believe.  We have the Western Bowerbird but they're out in arid areas so I'm fresh out.  :-(

Those purple eyes are amazing.  Great photos.

Wendy

Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site

Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site

http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/

marionwil
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Nice to see all the photo's. I have no bower bird shots so am just enjoying everyone elses..

Marion

Brisbane Northside

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