Friday, February 26, 2010

Pipit sits still in place of Cisticolas

Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae) obliges by sitting still on barbed wire more often occupied by Zittings and Golden-headed Cisticolas.

Plenty of them, usually on the road. Not so common for them to allow an approach for closeups. (Brown Falcons again too fast off their fence posts as I drove up yesterday.)


Couldn't resist a few more shots of Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica). They're so willing to sit still it seems almost rude not to stop, swap a few words (theirs much sweeter than mine) and hope for something different.


Tried without success for close shots of their fluttering flights. Light turned grey ... and then came the rain. Which has yet to really stop, 24 hours later. February's proving a wet one!

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5 comments:

  1. mickFebruary 26, 2010 at 6:05 PM

    Wow! When I think of how many times I have tried to get close to a Pipit!! Great photos Tony.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Denis WilsonFebruary 27, 2010 at 11:12 PM

    Yes, Pipits love fences nearly as much as Cisticolas love anything high to perch on.
    Good photos.
    Cheers
    Denis

    ReplyDelete
  3. SnailFebruary 28, 2010 at 7:15 PM

    Great shots, Tony. Pipits seem to be popping up more frequently here in the farm areas. Would they have been taking advantage of the nesting cover provided by the maize fields?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tyto TonyMarch 1, 2010 at 4:27 PM

    Thanks Mick. I used to have more luck with Pipits. Not sure why they seem shyer these days.

    Hi Denis: Thing is, lately they are avoiding fences and sticking to the road.

    Hi Bronwyn: Not sure they'd be so keen on maize. Prefer more open vistas, I'd say. But then I'm only into grass and cane.

    ReplyDelete
  5. SnailMarch 1, 2010 at 8:15 PM

    There's plenty of open space around Atherton, so I should go for a slow drive to see what I can see. (And annoy the tourists.)

    ReplyDelete

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