Cisticolas among attention seekers

Some days Golden-headed Cisticolas (Cisticola exilis) seem almost to be calling out and demanding pictures be taken. It's not always possible to oblige, since they inhabit scruffy areas of tall reeds, grasses and weedy shrubs, replete with obscuring stems and twiggy branches.

But it is somewhat surprising, in retrospect, how rarely I've managed to capture good pictures of birds with prey. Don't even know if the tiny object (above) from midmorning today is prey or an unwanted remnant of flora that happened to stick temporarily to the bird's bill.

Less inclined to pose nicely for the camera, this Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) did slow down for a second today.

But it could take lessons from this Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis), surveying the scene last month from a low guava bush.

Finally, also from the back file, Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus) shows the others how it should be done.