The bowerbird is named bowerbird for the bower they build. Try to say three times.

I had been looking, but I had never found any active bowers before. How cool would it be to see a dancing bird in real life? Performing his moves with that ever-sounding high-pitched ratchet sound, wings thrown in the air as the body changes moves and tones whilst holding onto a seductive tool in their beak? I never thought I would be that fortunate. My luck was about to change in most peculiar ways.

The bower is an intricate piece of natural architecture built with twigs of the same length and thickness. The bower is shaped like an open tunnel. Its walls need to be thick and stable to deter vandalism. It shows the female the hard work invested, skill and experience in architecture, which ultimately leads to yay or nay. Pretty impressive is what I think. Imagine building a house with one hand.

One bird builds one bower as its own and pursues the visiting ladies. Or so I thought from TV information. Wrong. Or at least here in this particular stretch of land. Possibly because of the high density of birds, I have counted at least a dozen bowerbirds altogether.

The bower is the central point of the bower community. It is not only a performance stage but also a meeting place. A communication point. A place where you are safe from predators and yet a place where you can let your feathers down. It is the birdie version of a YMCA. Therefore, location and building materials of the bower are of most importance.

Bowers are always built under the cover of trees or bushes. One doesn’t want to attract the wrong attention and needs to keep their cool from the hot summer sun.

Preferred areas are those where sunlight does shimmer through and reflect the shiny coat of the mature male bowerbird.

The Pine Cypress is the perfect sanctuary tree for a bird and its bower. The needle-like leaves always spine sunlight through its thicket, all the way to ground level. Yet, it’s perfectly sheltered from aerial assault. The cypress pine is also a provider of the bower materials, the wood chipper. Pine needles are found in abundance as they cover the floor. One doesn’t need to travel long distances to collect them.

This also means that the bower is kept safe from thieving neighbours. The needle ground creates a macrame kinda flooring, which has the advantage that pine needles are ‘easier’ to erect and don’t need to be dug in. On top of that, literally, rainwater just disintegrates into the soil beneath and keeps the stage mud free.

Bowerbirds are highly selective of their materials. Only the perfect twig will be placed in just the right area.

A wood chippy and craftsman. And every bird chips in. Last but not least, these particular trees provide a quick escape as well as an ideal viewing platform.

The cypress pine branches are just above ground level in various directions like tentacles of an octopus. From ground level, it appears like an oversized vertical and horizontal maze.

Birds can rest, view or perform on any level in any direction. Clever or instinctive, our natural world is just amazing.