Birds of Mt. Glorious
Mount Glorious is an unbelievable location for spotting really interesting birds; even if you have never considered bird watching, this place really can get you involved and interested in the local birdlife! There are just so many fantastic parrots, honey eaters and robins that you will be amazed at the diversity once you get off the beaten track a little.
Deep in the rainforest you may be lucky enough to see a Noisy Pitta Pitta Versicolor. This is a beautifully coloured bird spends a large part of its time on the forest floor hunting for its food. It has been called the anvil bird because of its habit of smashing snails on rocks. The Noisy Pitta feeds on snails and insects. This is often the only evidence you will have that you have come close to where a Pitta is. The Noisy Pitta also has a distinctive call. It has been interpreted as sounding like 'walk to work'.
If you sit still for a while and imitate this call you may entice a pitta close enough to catch a glimpse of it, as they tend to be rather curious.
Another bird you may see is the paradise Riflebird "Ptiloris Paradiseus" - a male is pictured below with the amazing green splash on his head. It can sometimes be seen in the highest trees, hanging upside down and napping its wings. This is a male paradise Riflebird displaying to a female.
Because this bird is not very high it is most usually seen - you may also get the impression that the male Riflebird is a dull black. If you are lucky enough to see it close up and in the sunlight however, you will appreciate why it has been called the "Paradise Riflebird". The plumage is an iridescent purplish-green and velvet black with a purplish sheen. The female Riflebird is a drab brown. Both have rather long curved beaks used to extract insects from under bark on logs and tree trunks.
The picture below was taken under drought conditions in 2014 when many of the native birds were struggling to find water they arrived at people's bird baths for that all important drink. It is very unusual to be able to get close enough to actually see the detail in these birds plumage.
Mount Glorious
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