Dedicated to understanding  the remarkable emotional, social and mental abilities of birds, and the unsuspected richness of their societies.

Birds At The Bunya Mountains

On our recent trip to the Bunya Mountains (native rainforest in Queensland) we were delighted to find the famous bower of the Satin Bowerbirds.  the male (blue satin coloured bird below) had adorned the nest with blue objects that match his sweetheart's eyes.  He was attempting to woo her and impress her with his bower building abilities.

male satin bowerbird wooing female bowerbird

 

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Gabi's Baby Bat Creche and Adult Release at Batavia

by Gabrielle Friebe from Bats Qld

batsqld.org.au

Batavia is a bat creche recently constructed at Woodford, on the way to the Sunshine Coast on Queensland.  2010/2011 bat season has certainly presented us with a few challenges with babies, flooding, extreme weather conditions and more.

Batavia Bat Rescue Creche

 
Challenges were fairly well to be expected when we think about the delay in getting the release aviary up and running due to weather with still a lot of necessary features ‘undone’. We had to fishing net the whole aviary inside, install more noodles and cover them as well of course for soft landings.

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Satin Bowerbird Wooing A Mate

 

 

It's mating time for Satin Bowerbirds.  On our recent trip to the magnificent Bunya Mountains (my very special place) Ron was  delighted to spot an eligible male bowerbird trying to impress a lady with his craft at building bowers, decorating them with blue jewels to match her eyes and his singing.  He will have to improve his act it seems.  You can read more about them at http://wingedhearts.org/bowerbirds and the I Love Bunya Mountains facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Love-Bunya-Mountains/175650352477322 . You can find out more about the Bunya Mountains at http://www.bunyamountains.com

 

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Photography and Bird Identification

by Jerry Liguori (Author and Bird Photographer)

 

 Barn OwlEquipment Advances:

Camera equipment has advanced in many ways in recent years, the biggest advancement has been in digital photography. Yes, film cameras can take beautiful photos, especially medium and large format landscapes and the like, but for overall image quality and usefulness regarding bird photography, particularly in-flight, digital equipment is far superior (see images on left). One of the most valuable features of digital photography is the ability to review images on-the-spot through the rear viewfinder. I remember having to wait at least 2 weeks to get a roll of slides back, only to be disappointed with the results. Nowadays, you can review your images instantly to get a feel for the exposure, contrast, sharpness, or composition. The ability to adjust tone, contrast, saturation, and sharpness on-the-spot as conditions change is another valuable option offered by the newer digital cameras. However, overdoing certain adjustments may result in a negative effect. High quality digital cameras also perform better in low light and at high ISO settings than film. Manufacturers try to make improvements each year regarding the precision of the auto-focus and other functions, and this is evident when comparing older model film or digital cameras to new models. Another advantage of digital images is that they are much easier to store and archive than are prints or slides. Some digital cameras offer video recording, and I'm sure most or all will in the future.

Just a note about shooting JPEG vs. RAW. The image size and resolution of JPEG (high quality setting) and RAW photos are the same (but the file size of a JPEG image is smaller). There are advantages to both settings, but the overall advantage of shooting JPEG is greater. This issue can be argued to death, as opinions differ, and alone is worthy of an entire article, which I don't have the energy or time for...but I have tested both settings and compared the results. On most cameras, there is an option to shoot both JPEG and RAW simultaneously, but there are drawbacks in doing so. I just don't prescribe to the theory of shooting RAW "just in case" because a strong enough case has not been made.

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Year Of The Bat - Basic Bat Physiology

flying fox poster

( click here for for Year of The Bat Posters (free) )

 

Bat Physiology Facts 

(Courtesy Batsqld.org.au and Long Grass Wildlife Refuge)

baby bat clinging to mother bat

Flying foxes and Microbats are placental mammals

They are warm blooded and deliver a furred open-eyed baby and suckle their young

The baby has oversized feet and an extra hook on the thumb hook to aid in clinging to its mother

 

By latching on to the mothers teat located in the wing pit the baby is carried very securely for the first five weeks of its life

From 3-5 weeks the baby cannot thermo regulate

Bats mothers are meticulous in hygiene and use their tongue to lick and groom the baby

Baby bats CANNOT fly until they are 12-13 weeks old. Many calls for rescue come after a baby has been seen for days and this seriously affects its survival.

 

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