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BIRDING ADVENTURES TV NEWS Greetings!
The BATV crew is getting ready to head down to the Dominican Republic with WINGS leader Gavin Bieber to film a show on the critically endangered Ridgway's Hawk.
But first things first! We getting ready to bring you some more amazing shows from Northern Territory Australia. Be sure to catch the second Australia show when it airs this week on Fox Sports Net. Join our Facebook page where you will get sneak previews of shows, updates on our travels and much more!
Planning our Red Centre adventure with Trek Larapinta
Congratulations to the winner of our last quizz, Deborah Smith from Palm Beach, Florida! And be sure to enter this week's quizz. Stay tuned for another Birding Adventure! 
THE TV SHOW WHERE BIRDS OF A FEATHER ADVENTURE TOGETHER
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THE RED CENTRE, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA! The Northern Territory is Australia's real Outback and home to the iconic natural wonders of Kakadu National Park and Uluru/Ayers Rock. The "NT" is renowned for its colourful outback characters and unique Aboriginal culture. In the heart of the NT is The Red Centre, an area of stunning beauty and harsh landscapes. This area provides one of Australia's most unique birding experiences.
The Northern Territory is Australia's real Outback and home to the iconic natural wonders of Kakadu National Park and Uluru/Ayers Rock. The "NT" is renowned for its colourful outback characters and unique Aboriginal culture. In the heart of the NT is The Red Centre, an area of stunning beauty and harsh landscapes. This area provides one of Australia's most unique birding experiences. 
"Gaps" are some of the most productive birding sites in the Red Centre Australia's desert bird communities are exceptional on a global scale for their nomadic behaviour: no other desert region can boast of having so many species that roam in search of good conditions. This makes birding in the outback a real adventure: both risky and exciting in equal measure. Because a species is present one year does not mean it will be there the next, and vice versa! The rewards for birdwatchers in the Red Centre are quality not quantity: each and every one of these birds is a miracle of survival in one of the most hostile and unpredictable habitats on Earth.
Unseasonal rains turned the Red Centre into the Green Centre |
WESTERN BOWERBIRD! The Western Bowerbird is smaller than the other bowerbird it shares its range with, the Great Bowerbird. Both sexes are similar in size and dimensions, except that the tail of the female is slightly longer. The Western Bowerbird feeds on fruits, particularly those of the rock fig, sandalwood, snake gourd and mistletoes. They will also enter farms to feed on cultivated fruits. Other items taken in the diet include nectar, flowers, insects such as ants, moths, beetles and grasshoppers, and spiders. They need to drink regularly and are rarely found far from water. Like most bowerbirds the Western Bowerbird is polygamous, with a male mating with several females over a breeding season and the female undertaking all nesting, incubation and chick-rearing responsibilities. As is typical in the family the male constructs an elaborate bower with which to attract females. Western Bowerbird bowers are paired avenues of sticks, 20-25 cm tall, and 25-35 long placed on top of a platform of sticks. The bower is decorated with green and white objects, including berries, fruits, shells, pebbles and bones. Man-made objects may also be used for decoration, including glass, gun casings and metal objects. Each bower may be used for a number of years and when new bowers are constructed material from the older bower will be recycled. The male advertises his bower with calls, when the female arrives to inspect he will perform ritualised dances, fanning his tail, jumping and wing flicking, as well as further calling. Decorations will also be held in the bill and shaken vigorously, and the pink crest on the neck will be erected.
The female constructs the nest, a shallow cup of small twigs nested on a larger platform of sticks, around 2-6 m up a tree or shrub, often in a clump of mistletoe. The clutch is usually one or two eggs, which are green to buff, glossy and covered in dark scribble patterns. The incubation period is unknown.
Catch the quest for this unique species this week on BATV!  Glossy Black Cockatoos by Mike Freiberg |
Correctly identify the mystery bird in the photo at left and win a comprehensive Nikon lens cleaning kit. Email answers to info@BirdingAdventures.com and title your email "Quizz". Clue: an American wren of sorts! The winner (first correct entry drawn) will be announced in next week's newsletter. Congratulations to our last winner, Deborah Smith of Palm Beach, Florida who correctly identified our last mystery bird as a Rainbow Pitta! Deborah won a Nikon lens cleaning kit. |
TV SCHEDULE We will be airing the following new shows this week on Fox Sports Net. Our upcoming immediate schedule is as follows: Week of April 15 Western Bowerbird - Northern Territory Australia Week of April 22 Rainbow Pitta - Northern Territory Australia 
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Happy Birding,
The Birding Adventures Team 
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