Hi
I'm new here, and joined because three of these birds have turned up eating our kiwifruit as they start to ripen in late autumn. Altho we've grown these fruit for years, these birds are new to our garden, and an internet search has failed to identify them.
I am struck by their beautiful blue eye, their shyness, and that they have dissapeared after only two days, despite lots of fruit left on the vine.
People here will surely be familiar with them.
Thanks in advance.
They are awesome birds, these are female Satin bowerbirds. Have you seen the male? It has shiny dark blue feathers.
Hi Tim
Thanks for your quick reply.
Well, I am suprised to see Bowerbirds up here in the frosty weather - even tho its been unseasonably warm, its still cold at night, and we are at least 20klm from the edge of the escarpment / great dividing range.
While we have a large town block, witha few mature eucalpytus viminalis & some undergrowth, its not the rainforest / wet schlerophyll that the internet says they should be living in.
I can see no mention of migration for these birds, but they seem to have passed through - my computer overlooks the kiwifruit vine on the verandah - and no sign today or yesterday. No sign of the male either, i'll certainly be keeping an eye out. At least seeing three seems to indicate a family group, rather than lone straggler, and they were fat and healthy / robust looking, so that is all good.
It's certainly a Satin Bowerbird, as timrp says. My field guide comments that they move from the highland to the lowlands in Autumn. It would seem a bit odd that they're in Armidale at this time of year then, as it is probably nearish the western edge of their range.Maybe they're staying overwinter because of the extra food found in a moderate sized town like Armidale?
But I don't know if distribution with species like this is determined by food/habitat availability or climate. Certianly, they're finding plenty of food by the sound of it!