Whilst walking in the Royal National Park today, we stopped at Bola Creek to
watch a pair of Superb Lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) feeding 60 feet
away. After a while, I noticed things dropping out of the trees. On
investigation it was Lilli Pilli fruits being dropped by Satin Bower Birds
(Ptilonorhynchus violaceus). The fruits seemed to have a "nick" out of each
berry so I watched carefully to see what was happening. The Bower Birds
would bite the fruit; if it remained on the tree they would swallow the
chunk and bite again. If it came off in their beak, they seemed to toss
their head up and flick the berry out of their bill but keeping the chunk of
fruit in their beaks. There seemed to be about a dozen birds but only one
coloured male in the feeding group.
We saw or heard six Superb Lyrebirds, saw several flocks of Topknot Pigeons,
and encountered manic bicycle riders. This seems to be the latest craze
gone mad: riding mountain bikes on walking tracks in the National Park.
Let's hope it stops.
Trevor Quested and Annie Young
Sydney Australia
Phone. +61 2 9955 6266
Fax. +61 2 9959 4005
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