Saw this large bird in a garden just outside Apollo Bay, Victoria in December 2010. Was being mobbed by Wattle birds but so was everything else, the head of one can be seen on the right for size comparison. Sorry about the quality of the photo it was rushed and through the window. Have been searching through my books but getting nowhere, any help would be appreciated, regards .
That one is a Female/Juv Male Satin Bowerbird. Nice catch.
Thanks for that,it was the female being so different to the male that threw me. We are on holiday from the UK where we recognise most of our birds. Here everthing is new and exciting, shame we have been based in central Melbourne, saying that, yesterday in the Botanic gardens, while all the tourists were snapping black swans, I noticed a Kingfisher and what I think is a Reed Warbler. Also in the Dandenongs,I think some variety of Honeyeater.
The only bird I can come up with for the honey is a crescent honeyeater, maybe juvenile. Otherwise it doesn't to fit anything in my field guide for victoria
I can't see your pictures in this thread. Please use a direct link to the image instead of to your flickr page. For example:
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
I can't see them either soakes. I tried editing them to make them a jpg but didn't work.
Have tried as you suggested,let's hope that works.
This last one is an immature Eastern Spinebill
Pretty bird!!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Hi soakes,what's the bird in your photo?
M-L
Thank you all for your help and patience, you may get this message twice as it just vanished! As my mystery bird was quickly identified as a female Satin Bowerbird I remembered seeing a male in the free flying'Natural Australia'section in Melbourne Museum. So today I went to see if he had a mate and was it the same as the one I snapped in the wild? Well, yes he did and she was. There was also a bower with bits of anything blue strewn about it, which I decided to photograph when he suddenly popped in and displayed for me, brilliant.
I'm not keen on birds being captive but being able to catch a little of it on video made my day, cheers Ann
Araminta,
that was the result of my detective work on the first pic that anmsn posted. It was subsequently identified as a female satin bowerbird.
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Thanks soaks, I haven't seen one before, my friend from up the road claims he has one on his land,(near Gembrook,Vic) Could that be possible? There are lots of birds I haven't seen!Doesn't mean, there not there!
M-L
correction: they are not there!(I wish I could spell!)
M-L
Araminta,
I suppose it is possible, but I can't recall seeing any of these birds in Victoria.
IMHO it is vaguely similar to a bassian thrush (which I have seen around here).
I'm no expert though - anyone else?
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
we have taken pics of the satin bowerbirds in Walhalla vic.
Morning Cath and Shane,thanks for the info, so, my friend "could have" some! (LOL, where's the photo?)
M-L
Morning Araminta, go to page 6 of best photos and scroll down to Walhalla pt3 and we have a male and a female.
Where is the image in the first message pane? I cannot see anything. Can someone e-mail it to me please?
thanks :)