A Natural Birdbath
December 2006
It’s wonderful to such an observant biologist for a husband; he often finds great photo opportunities for me. In the woods next to our campsite in Lamington National Park, he noticed that many different birds were coming to drink and bathe at a tiny pool of water on the ground. “You should set up there,” he said. And it turned out to be a gold mine.
Rufous Fantail
Next morning I set up a camp chair and my tripod mounted camera, 500mm lens, and flash. Over the next few hours as the heat mounted, birds would come and go and I ended up recording 18 different species there.
Eastern Whipbird
These bathing beauties ranged in size from a tiny Superb Fairy-wren to an enormous Australian Brush-turkey. Their bathing behavior varied too. A Rufous Fantail bathed with a few shy hops and flutters into the water. A pair of Eastern Whipbirds, on the other hand, spent several minutes splashing around getting thoroughly soaked, as did a female Satin Bowerbird which returned several times. The most colorful visitors were a pair of brilliantly hued Crimson Rosellas that arrived to drink, but didn’t bathe.
Crimson Rosellas
A wonderful window on the birds of the rainforest—and in our own “backyard,” temporary though it was.