Heron makes rare showing

Rare sighting and flyaway at the rainforest pools today of dark grey Striated Heron (Butorides striatus) didn't give me time to even lift the camera.

Even more surprising than seeing the bird has been the rarity of sightings over the years: two in five years at Tyto (a kilometre away) - to my knowledge. Today's was a rainforest first for me. But no sign of the Azure Kingfishers.

So, three pictures from the past few days:


Male Rufous-throated Honeyeater (Conopophila rufogularis) reaches under a dead pink lotus flower head in its search for small insects. The birds are seldom absent from Tyto, but often disappear high into trees through the day. Mornings and evenings, they more actively forage at and near the water's edge.



Northern Fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris) takes a spell from competing with Willie Wagtails for moths and other flying prey. The fantails can't match their more numerous rivals in open woodland. They do better in closed woodland, and stick around long after the Grey Fantails have headed off for cooler forest and higher ground.



Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae - formerly Richard's P.) surveys its typical mown grass territory from atop an Ingham airstrip security fence, which forms Tyto's southern boundary. I'm not too keen on manmade bits in my bird pictures, yet have to admit they do sometimes make a photgrapher's life easier.