Invention takes a break after fixing Troopy suspension

Enough with crocs and snakes, time to have a look at June's best birds in the Town Common Conservation Park. - with a call for some effort from followers. Heap of bird names first, pictures to follow. He must be feeling lazy, did I hear somebody say? Right on. Busy day crawling around front suspension of the old Troopy after sudden arrival of ominous noises yesterday. As always, parts proved a problem. But eventually bodged up a fix or sorts. Careful test over the corrugated Town Common road tomorrow. So, the birds: Pacific Baza, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Crimson Finch, Australian Reed-Warbler, White-browed Crake, Willie Wagtail.

Water Python quick to take and swallow duck

Water Python wraps around Pacific Black Duck in narrow channel between two small Townsville wetlands. About an hour later bird was an elongated bulge inside snake, surprisingly faster than I expected after wandering off birding for a bit.

 

Today (Sunday 18/06/23) started with a bang. Huge tall security roller door giving access to my block of retirement village studio units collapsed overnight, locking my high-top Toyota Troopy in. Smaller vehicles can duck through lower passage. So, walk north to bird next door at Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre, a touch closer than Rowes Bay Wetlands, which is next door to southwest.

There I bumped into friend and fellow birder Ed Pierce. And as we walked to southern end of centre wetlands we heard frantic splashing before finding python and duck in life and death struggle barely five metres away. Snake may well be one that I got shots of polishing off Grey Teal in Rowes Bay Wetlands last month (earlier blog post).  

Two crocs mostly comforting but three's bit of a crowd

Third crocodile seen lately in the Town Common Conservation Park cause for bit of a rethink. Above all it shatters presumption that there was just the one biggish Saltie moving through several lagoon viewing areas. Now ... who knows how many - and exactly where? Last year's consistently high water levels, continuing through 2023 so far may have encouraged crocs, big fish and turtles to stick around. The conditions have also been perfect for expansive growth of bulrushes and reeds, thus creating extra cover in the lagoons. This all may change if the forecast but uncertain El Nino arrives this year rather than next. As always, we must wait and see. Stepping carefully meantime.