Banjo’s Bower Watch: bringing a Great Bowerbird’s secret world closer

If you have visited Broome Bird Observatory, there is a good chance you have encountered one of our most charismatic residents: the Great Bowerbird.

Great Bowerbirds are a familiar part of life at BBO. They visit the bird baths, investigate anything new and occasionally help themselves to objects that were never intended to become bower decorations. They are intelligent, curious and endlessly entertaining.

Not far from the Discovery Centre is the bower of a male Great Bowerbird we have named Banjo. It is only about 250 metres away, but much of what happens there is easy to miss. That is something we hope to change through a new project called Banjo’s Bower Watch.

A bower is not a nest!

A male Great Bowerbird builds and maintains a bower as a place to display and attract females. It is not a nest and no chicks are raised there. Think of it like a nice bachelor pad to impress the ladies.

The male carefully arranges sticks to create an avenue and surrounds it with collections of objects. He continually adds, removes and rearranges decorations while also keeping an eye on rival males who may visit, steal items or interfere with his work.

When a female arrives, the male performs an elaborate display involving movement, calls and the presentation of different objects. Much of this behaviour happens quickly and unpredictably, which makes it difficult to observe without influencing the birds simply by being there.

Banjo’s Bower Watch aims to give us a closer view without needing people to sit beside the bower.

The idea

With support from Horizon Power, we are working towards installing cameras that will allow Banjo’s activities to be observed remotely.

Our hope is that the project will eventually provide a live view of the bower, helping visitors, students, researchers and people further afield learn more about Great Bowerbird behaviour.

The cameras may allow us to see which decorations Banjo prefers, how often he rearranges his collection, interactions with females and rival males, and the changes that take place at the bower through the seasons.

It will also create new education opportunities at BBO. A bower is a wonderful starting point for conversations about animal behaviour, communication, courtship, habitat and the remarkable intelligence of birds.

Not as simple as pointing a camera

Installing a live wildlife camera in the bush is not quite as easy as attaching it to a tree and pressing a button.

Banjo’s bower is some distance from the Discovery Centre, so we need to establish a reliable connection capable of transmitting video through the bush. The equipment also needs to cope with heat, dust, rain, strong winds and everything else the Kimberley climate can deliver.

We have been testing the wireless connection, investigating suitable cameras and working through where equipment can be installed safely. We also need to make sure the final camera positions provide a useful view while causing as little disturbance as possible to Banjo and the surrounding habitat.

There have already been plenty of measurements, signal tests, equipment discussions and trips back and forth between the Discovery Centre and the bower. Some tests have worked well, while others have shown us that a little more height—or an entirely different approach—is needed.

Meanwhile, Banjo continues rearranging his bower, apparently unconcerned by our debates about camera specifications, wireless signals and wind-rated masts.

When will Bower Watch be live?

We do not have a firm launch date yet.

There are still technical and installation challenges to work through, and we want the system to be reliable before inviting everyone to watch. Remote technology can take time to get right, especially in a location like ours.

We will share further updates as the project develops and will let everyone know when Banjo’s Bower Watch is ready. Until then, we are excited to be taking the first steps towards revealing more of the daily life surrounding this remarkable structure.

Banjo may not know it yet, but his audience is growing.

We would like to thank Horizon Power for supporting Banjo’s Bower Watch and helping us create a new way for people to connect with the wildlife of Broome Bird Observatory.