back with the bowerbirds

It's been a quiet summer here at Magpie and Cake.

There's been so, so much amazing, adorable and awesome stuff going on recently in the world of craft, but for various reasons of my own I haven't felt like blogging much.

But I think it's about time to get back into it. So if anyone out there is still reading this blog, hello to you - and thanks!

Let's kick this off right with a little stop-motion gem: the new video for Bowerbirds' lovely song, "In Our Talons". I challenge you not to sing along to that chorus - deet deet deet deet deet deet deet deet deet deet deet...



There's something about this video that I really like. It's dark and a little spooky, but also it's also upbeat and is all about renewal. That, and a couple of praying mantis making out.

PS. Random fact for you: it turns out that bowerbirds are a real kind of bird, too. They're quite crafty birds who build fancy bowers to attract mates.

Depending on the species, the bower ranges from a circle of cleared earth with a small pile of twigs in the center to a complex and highly decorated structure of sticks and leaves — usually shaped like a walkway, a small hut or a maypole — into and around which the male places a variety of objects he has collected. These objects — usually strikingly blue in hue — may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items or pieces of glass. The bird spends hours carefully sorting and arranging his collection, with each object in a specific place; if an object is moved while the bowerbird is away he will put it back in its place. [...] This complex mating behaviour, with highly valued types and colors, and decorations that, in many species, vary in attractiveness from year to year like fashion trends, has led some researchers to regard the bowerbirds as the most advanced of any species of bird.-Wikipedia

I wonder what that says about humans who do the same thing in their homes?