This week my neighbour bought my attention to his grim find of a
female Olive-backed Sunbird hanging in the web of a Golden Orb Spider at
the entrance to his car shed. She was very still in the hope of not
being noticed however it was too late to be thinking that way.
As we took stock of the situation the very large female spider moved
toward the sunbird feeling along the web as she went. When within the
sunbird's reach the bird briefly grabbed the front leg of the spider
which then retreated to a safer distance.
Within a few minutes my neighbour and I released the sunbird from
the web. She has two young in a nest on the next door verandah. So the
outcome is that we still have three sunbirds and one Golden Orb Spider.
However upon retreaval she was still securely "tied up" by the
elastic strands of the web.
This is the fourth species that I have records of in these spider's
webs, the others being Scarlet Honeyeater, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
and Red-browed Firetail.
` I find it interesting that the sunbird defended itself against the
spider which it would have been familiar with. It would be like a man
kicking an approaching five metre crocodile in the nose!
Del. Richards, Fine Feather Tours, Mossman, NQ.
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