Lyrebirds hold the history of the forest in their song…
but are they now singing the sad story of human encroachment?
Hatched as an eco-mystery on the elusive lyrebird: this Australian feathery-tale examines the relationship between people and birds, set in a natural wonderland where an exquisite forest faery has been performing his astonishing song and dance routines for millions of years. It is a timeless journey of self-reflection and connection, and a call to remember to live without destroying the things we love.
The Message of the Lyrebird is a multi award-winning documentary about a bird who holds the stories of our landscapes. Lyrebirds, in defiance of 16 million years of fires, floods and the recent felling of the rainforests, are known as eco-system engineers and stand as a symbol of sacred harmony – the speaker of all languages.
Themes of the feature-length movie explore community co-existence with wildlife, the effects of human intervention on the environment, our spiritual connection with the natural world, and nature’s intelligence for the continuation of life.
Come on a journey deep into the native forests of Australia, where characters of the film help us understand not only the lyrebird’s sophisticated artwork, but what its message may be for humanity.
The Superb Lyrebird
The world’s greatest mimic, master of song and dance, and nature’s own composter; uses memory to interpret all language and lure his potential mate to the dancing mound so that lyrebird life may continue. However, the iconic Australian songbird has had over 40% of its native habitat destroyed during the 2019/2020 bushfire season, and in addition many other old-growth forest homes are being impacted through human intervention practices. The story sets out to understand if the lyrebird imitates sounds of human origin in the wild? And if so, how and why lyrebird’s natural behaviour undergoes change.
The Cinematographer
Nick Hayward is an award-winning natural history cinematographer and it all started with filming lyrebirds. Ever since filming the infamous ‘chainsaw mimicking lyrebird’ for the BBC series “Life of Birds”, Nick has held concerns about the bird’s true, natural behaviour. Thus, he sets out to film a lyrebird imitating sounds of human origin; something never-before captured on film in the wild. Along the way, Nick films spectacular footage of the bird’s behaviour in the wild valleys and mountains of their homes. These homes still exist – but if lyrebirds pick up human sounds from their environment, are they singing a story of human encroachment?
The Scientist
Behavioural Ecologist, Dr Anastasia Dalziell investigates the ecology of vocal mimicry in the Superb Lyrebird for her PhD research at the Australian National University, where she has recorded over 3,000 hours of lyrebird imitations, including up to 90 different song-types of the Grey Shrike-thrush. Using her scientific skills as well as the adept knowledge of musicology, Anastasia deciphers the ingenuity of lyrebird song and dance routines from many parts of the eastern Australian landscape, including birds in the Sherbrooke forest. However, there’s one song and dance display Anastasia has yet to interpret.
The Study Group
Ecologist, Dr Alex Maisey heads a line-up of citizen scientists from the Sherbrooke Lyrebird Study Group who’ve been observing and conserving the birds since 1958. Every winter season the members trek through the forest at dawn, conducting citizen science to locate and document the birds. Alex and the group set up spy-cameras on dancing mounds to gain insight into lyrebird mating, imitation, and many other strange behaviours. The group allow the audience insight into the many grassroots [and sometimes humorous] ways to study the lyrebird.
The Lyrebird Sound Recordist
Carol Probets is a self-employed birding guide, field naturalist, photographer, writer and lyrebird sound recordist. Carol’s love of music and birds led her to a research project, studying the mysterious population of lyrebirds who sing unusual and extraordinary flute-like songs in the icy mountains of the New England Plateau, 1,500 metres above sea level. Carol grapples with the origins of the sounds, which has become the bird’s territorial song covering more than 20,000 square kilometres.
The Lyrebird Keeper
After 50 years of continuous service at Healesville Sanctuary, including his duties as head keeper, Kevin Mason (OAM) has gained a strong bond with lyrebirds in captivity. He has also been fortunate enough to explore many ranges and national parks which are home to wild lyrebirds. His knowledge of birds learning sounds from their environment offers a legion of revelations about the lyrebird.
The Activist
Cam Walker has been involved in environmental and social justice activism at a grass-roots level in Australia for decades. During the early part of the 21st Century, ninety percent of a tree-lined mountain country where he had long interactions with individual lyrebirds, was ripped to a bare paddock; chained, cleared and destroyed for pulp. Cam revisits this habitat and his memory of the local lyrebird calls – the soundtrack to life on the mountain. His high and invaluable perspective from the top of Mt Toorongo illustrates the profound importance to reconnect with wildlife, our old-growth forests, the landscapes and indeed ourselves.
The Knowledge-Holder
Frances Bodkin (Aunty Fran) is a descendant of the Bidigal clan of the D’harawal Peoples with ancestral and spiritual links to Wiritjiribin - the First Lyrebird. Frances understands that Original Australian Knowledges are also scientific and can be used to help us live on this land sustainably. This is depicted during the D’harawal Dreaming story: Yandel’ora which translates to “The Land of Peace Between Peoples”, where Wiritiribin yearns for integrity, reconciliation and salvation, and in doing so, is gifted a great ability from the Creator Spirit. Aunty Fran’s message asks us about who we are and what we can become.
Balangara Films
Mark B Pearce
Mark B Pearce, Nick Hayward, Louisa D Pearce
Nick Hayward
Mark B Pearce
Michael Slater
Colin Offord, Matthew Doyle, Riley Lee
Prod Co
Prod, Dir
EP
DOP
Editor
Sound
Composers
The Book
A4 portrait. Hard cover with jacket. 178 pages + contents, references, acknowledgements, inside front and back spreads. 125+ professional photographs and copies of original artworks. Printed with vegetable based inks. Paper and cover boards are made from 90% or more recycled raw materials.
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