Exquisite Spotted Pardalotes choose a nest site
This footage was taken across two visits, three days apart, in early September 2016 on the Chiltern Track, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, NSW.
The pair of Spotted Pardalotes didn’t seem to mind our presence in this nest-site selection phase, but we wondered whether some burrows or partial burrows were decoys. It also wasn’t clear whether any sites were old ones being renovated. Nonetheless, at the end of the first visit we were quite convinced they had found a favourite spot after checking out several possibilities on this embankment alongside a very small water course. Yet at the second visit we saw a lot of male activity at a different site close to the earlier explorations. However, the pair were also spotted near our first guess.
After editing the footage in this video we returned to Chiltern Track a week later. This time we had to wait a fair while to see either pardalote. At last the male appeared with nesting material in his beak. But this time it was near impossible to get footage or even a photo. The stakes were now higher for him so he was very wary. And when he emerged from the shadows he went into the burrow area in a flash! That’s when we discovered that the final choice was a previously unseen site between the other options. This one was the most hidden of all with vegetation debris masking the entrance. Even if the more obvious holes in the embankment aren’t deliberate decoys, they probably could function as such. In any case, it was clear our presence was intimidating this time so we didn’t linger. Witnessing their nest explorations a week ago was a special filming opportunity and a wonderful treat.
Other birds around at the time included Golden Whistlers (particularly vocal), Silvereyes (Tasmanian race ), Little Wattlebirds, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, New Holland Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebills, Brown Thornbills, Eastern Yellow Robins, Variegated Fairywrens and Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters.