Pandanus Trees

About 90% of Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren nests at Mornington Station are placed in one particular kind of tree, called Pandanus. It’s a spiky, palm-like plant that grows along the banks of permanent, deep pools along creeks and rivers.

They look cool, but Pandanus fronds are lined with rows of sharp, serrated edges. My arms are scratched up from pushing through them for the last week. Fairy-Wrens love them, though; territories are built around large clumps of Pandanus, and the wrens spend most of their time skulking through the densest stands. Since the wrens are there, so am I. My days are spent alternately crashing through thick riparian vegetation and making quiet observations along the creek, searching for color-banded birds and hoping to find their nests. All the time, Pandanus is my guide, close at hand; it’s a jungle out there!