birding-aus

Yellow-breasted Boatbills

To: "birding-aus" <>
Subject: Yellow-breasted Boatbills
From: "Alan Gillanders" <>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:04:54 +1000
Greetings from the Atherton Tablelands,
The Yellow-breasted Boatbills are going crazy at the moment. Calling all over their range. Late last week I noticed a pair flying around less than half a metre from the ground and mostly less than 30 cm. Hardly their normal behaviour. When he stopped chasing her she would chase him.

Once, she sat on the ground no more than two metres from me. When he caught up to her they took hold of each other's bill and rocked from side to side fairly quickly but there seemed to be no tension or hostility, even ritualised, in the movement but more like a dance.

Any comments regarding this behaviour would be welcome, have you seen it or something like it?

All the Bowerbirds are also displaying. The Golden male which I most often visit continues to suffer raids from his neighbour but as the weather has been so dry the rate of decomposition of materials is slow and the bower looks a picture. I still have not been able to locate a Golden Bowerbird bower which is easily accessible on public lands to replace my old Longlands gap site for those who want to track them down themselves. I have seen adult males around the Crater and the Gap but have not heard the, 'I'm a handsome Golden Bowerbird at my bower' call.

Regards,
Alan Gillanders

Alan's Wildlife Tours
2 Mather Road
Yungaburra 4884
www.alanswildlifetours.com.au
Phone 07 4095 3784
Int. + 61 7 4095 3784
Mobile 0408 953 786

Alan's blog http://alanswildlife.blogspot.com/
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