Satin Bowerbird gets ready for Lanigans Ball.

Having some time to spare today I went to check the bower near "Tom Green's Seat" in the Australian National Botanic Gardens.  The bower was well occupied by what I take to be - based on the green plumage and yellow bill - a 5th or 6th year male Satin Bowerbird.  (With all these images, click on them for a bigger - unfortunately not better focused picture.  The shots were taken hand held on full zoom from about 10m distance into a fairly well shaded location.)

He was very much engaged in adding to the construction.

Then it seemed that another bird called from the bush above.  This led to a whole lot of activity: the most spectacular (and worst imaged) was a flash of the wings:
The bird also did a fair bit of hopping around.  Given that it was still immature I called to mind the greatest traditional Irish song of all time: Diarmuid O'Leary and the Bards performing Lanigan's Ball.  This ditty refers to spending "6 long months at Brooks Academy learning the steps for Lanigan's ball".  Judging by this hop I think it had learnt the steps well:
Here is a close up of carrying the bottletop around:
It also shlepped a flower - possibly a Xerochrysum viscosum - as a gift for its intended.
Whether the bird could actually carry through on its promise is open to debate.  Broadening the cultural context to include the greatest Broadway musical - and subsequently movie musical - of all time (Guys and Dolls) I hope he has registered the message given to Nathan Detroit in the song "Take back your mink".  Perhaps he'll have sorted that by the time he gets his nice blue-black plumage?

The last I saw of this bird was perched high in a shrub before it flew off in the general direction of the Rockery!
It was pleasing to note the number of other folk who were interested in the bower and goings-on there.

Comments

Denis Wilson said…
Hi Martin
.
Lovely sequence of images.
OK they get a bit blurry towards the end, but who cares?
Together, they tell a good story.
When the bird was doing the wing flaps, was it making the metallic whirring noises, by any chance?
In other words a dance to attract a mate?
Cheers
Denis
4 August 2011 at 19:57:00 GMT+10
Flabmeister said…
Denis

Yes indeed. It was doing the whirring noise very loudly. I was a bit surprised another bird didn't appear since I thought it was, for at least part of the time, sitting in the bush above the lad.

I guess "its not easy being green".

Martin
5 August 2011 at 06:00:00 GMT+10
Stella Isabella Judy Anne Tunks-Frawley said…
Good photos and descriptions, I really enjoyed it.

Kind regards

Matthew Frawley
5 August 2011 at 07:43:00 GMT+10
Denis Wilson said…
"Neee-Dip". or in your case, Knee-deep in puns.
Cheers
Denis
5 August 2011 at 09:11:00 GMT+10
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