Patrick Booth, Shapeshifter (ANIMAL 2023)

Shapeshifter This portfolio is a representation of the Male Magnificent Riflebird’s (Ptiloris magnificus) displaying behaviour to attract a mate in Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park, on the traditional lands of the Kuuku ya’u peoples of Cape York in far north Queensland. Found in New Guinea and the northern tip of Cape York Queensland Australia, during the dry season male birds will seek out highly sought after low perching branches within the rainforest and call for hours (wheew -wit in Iron Range and whit-whit rest of northern Cape York) on end with multiple males rotating positions within the rainforest from multiple locations close by to attract females. So within say a four hundred metre radius I estimate up to four different males called and displayed from the one location I based myself at from dawn and then again at dusk for five days in a row in mid October of 2021. The females will look on from above and when the male spots the female, he launches into his dancing display with brilliant scaly, iridescent blue breast plate, copper waistband and curved wings making whirring whooshing sounds as he progresses rapidly through his repertoire. If the female likes what she sees, she will join him on the branch and then they will display together before mating. Challenging natural lighting conditions within the rainforest made this shoot all the more rewarding. Shot with monopod. Crabwalk - 1050mm @ 1/500 sec f8 Iso 5000 Over a five day period I got to photograph these amazing birds in a myriad of different poses and positions. This shot depicts the bird seemingly mapping out his repertoire by crab walking back and forth on the branch while at the same time tapping his beak on the places he means to put his feet while he displays. Pride - 1050mm @ 1/750 sec f8 Iso 8000 This male displayed at length fully stretched filling the frame on the fifth morning in a row at this particular branch. Black Velvet - 750mm @ 1/1500 sec Iso 2000 I really like this shot as it depicts the bird with those luxuriant velvet black curved wing feathers in deep shade down under the canopy in the unique rainforest of Kutini Payamu.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.