Followings and swallowings

Nature bloggers are being urged to match the busy biz self-promotion found within the social networking scene. If we think our stuff's worth reading it's up to us to snaffle all possible readers.

Nothing too much wrong with that - so far as it goes. Though it does seem to be a world so rampantly positive and all-embracingly encouraging that it lacks critical values.

And perhaps 'success' as measured by high readership and followings demands drive and effort that many of us prefer to put directly into our passion. If I could bird and not blog I'd still be happy. Blog and not bird? Unthinkable!

Gee! you say, where's this going? Nowhere very deep, I assure you. Just thinking aloud to introduce today's pix.

Should I open with the best picture, or the lesser picture illustrating an unusual sighting? Who cares? Well, if I'm concerned to push up my ratings I might start to care. Too much. Anyway, on with blog.

Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinus) flew into a rain tree at the mill treatment ponds this morning with something long and green dangling from its bill. As the bird clambered about in the branches a tree frog swung to and fro, head locked in the bird's mouth. Another coucal in the tree looked interested, but didn't offer any challenge.

No surprise to find a Pheasant Coucal with a frog. But its carrying prey into a tree falls outside my experience and expectation. The frog's probable final minutes were hidden from me. (Probable because I once saw a Black Butcherbird virtually swallow a frog before spitting it out unharmed.)

On to a bit of cute. This Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus) poses atop a rock on a pile of builder's mix yesterday evening at the caravan park.

Not sure how this pic will hold up. By circumstance and design it's been jpg-compressed three times at 80 per cent. Not best practice, but let's see how it looks. Will it help my ratings???