Some birds close to my heart of things

Home's where the heart is, close to home's where many of my birds are. Benefit of buying into retirement village surrounded by conservation parks and other wildlife and marine areas. Some sightings lately:

Brahminy Kite, one of pair often seen on local dead trees.

Brolga foraging and flying close to the kites' lookouts.

Australasian Figbird about 100 metres from Brolga's reed patch.

Pheasant Coucal close-up and close to Figbird's perch.

Scaly-breasted Munia (was Spice Finch, then Chestnut-breasted Mannikin) by coastal walkway.

Not quite all in one day's walk, but part of my recent days' walks.

 

 

Beware the hazard in the hazard

Hazard in the hazard with two-metre plus Saltwater Crocodile a short slice off the fairway at a Townsville golf club. Snuck around for front-on pictures but got only a muddy blur. Big difference in our reaction times.

Ditto with Yellow-spotted Monitor on road a bit later in the day. Rising afternoon temps will draw more reptiles out into the open. But the warmth doesn't make them any easier to get ahead of.

Did get ahead of flying Brolga the other day. Fluke shot almost exactly filled the frame as the bird passed overhead.

Slightly behind Masked Lapwing today before getting bird in focus. It's a subspecies, Vanellus novaehollandiae, less common in the north than V. miles. Picture shows distinguishing extension of black down back of neck. Pity it only hints at the continuation down to the breast.

Wagtail uncommoners come and gone

Seems the uncommoners have come and gone. Not one Eastern Yellow Wagtail sighted this morn in the Town Common. First miss in 17 days.

Never did get a decent picture of the one yellow bird.

'Blotchy' stuck around longest.

Larger sight on the wagtails' patch of saltwater couch this morn, White-bellied Sea-eagle tearing into long-necked turtle.

Elsewhere, three Brolgas in charge of two fast-drying pools in front of Freshwater hide. Male above.

Along the dam wall, nine Brown Quail, two of which, female (left) and male stayed on track long enough for distant shot.

Finally, not at all uncommon but rarely in the open by day, waterlogged water rat at water's edge beside dam wall.

All's well after wee flap over flapping junior Jabiru

Jabiru junior shows robust health morning after alarming visitor with much head tossing and wing flapping interpreted as throat obstruction but more likely demands for food from parents.

Last pools at best viewing areas remain wetter than same time last year. But without rain by end of month mud will show through almost everywhere.

No more images of Jabiru (Black-necked Stork) senior jabbing into the water for slippery catches.

No more Black-fronted Dotterel immature poking about at edge of water.

And fewer close views of Brolgas flying in to forage through grasses and, less often, pools.

And no more chances to stand relatively close to Royal Spoonbills, trying combinations of cameras and lenses (top down: 1D+600; 1D+1.4x+600; 7D+1.4+600= 1344mm! Conclusion: kiss - keep it simple, stupid - is best).

Mud, mud, glorious mud . . .

Sloshing around muddy edges of fast-receding shallows at Melaleuca viewing area in the Townsville Common Conservation Park lately brought dodgy footing and images, including low overflight by young Brolga - bill much muddied - today.

Down on the 'ground' (mostly mud bounded by thick para grass), solitary Greater Sand Plover highlighted yesterday and today.

More numerous, thinly scattered Sharp-tailed Sandpipers came and went without troubling the plover.

As also did Red-necked Stints, in lower numbers and all flightier than others marching and munching across the mud.

And poised high and dry above it all this morning, Golden-headed Cisticola sings from dead sedge stalk.

Glossy Ibis does Xmas turkey impressions

What to serve up on Christmas Eve? How about Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) doing turkey impressions.  

No reindeer visible lately so Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes)

and Brolga (Grus rubicunda) will have to do as potential sled-pullers.

Coming back down to ground, Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis) lights up any forest scene.

And cooing over all, Pied Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula bicolor).

Bonus poem (after fun minutes two morns ago in Tyto):

Birdhide  footbridge  handrail
treesnake handheld  overarm
outswing  paperbark  highrise
                                  farewell

May all be of good cheer this and every season.

Portraits in passing along the Orient

Don't take many portraits, but here's a handsome big boy at Orient Station the other day. He insisted on showing only his left horn. 'We've all got out better side,' he said ruminatively.

Close by, Brolga may have been chasing flying prey, but it's more likely only a fluke passing during a spot of splash and dash.

Here's the reason for crawling about in the friendly bull's domain, Zitting Cisticola, temptingly atop paperbark seedling, but never stopping long enough for better closeups.

Just down the road, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper stood around for a wee while though wouldn't stand for my effort to get an image from water level.

Sidling up on Brolgas - and a salty

Used the Camry hide to (s)idle up on Brolgas (Grus rubicunda) at roadside pool near Ingham today.

Immature bird even less alarmed than parent (top picture). Useless snippet: one of Australia's largest birds comes with one of shortest names.

Also looming large just down the highway, at Cattle Creek, two-metre-plus saltwater crocodile. Yesterday's picture. Today, very quick into water, possibly on to pattern in my appearances. 

Definitely non-threatening, pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds (Nectarinia jugularis) show typical cheek on tourists' campervan at Jourama Falls yesterday.

Also at Jourama, Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus).

Bird busy defending food tree from - among others - Topknot Pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus). Both species more often found in higher forest - before Cyclone Yasi.   
Click pix to enlarge

Wetlands going to the dogs

Pity to wipe smiles off faces of Tyto visitors. But some just don't pay attention to signs forbidding them entry. Pair (mum and son) skidded to stop yesterday and slunk off at shout of 'Get home!' (wherever that is). Bad dogs? Nope. Bad owners.

More welcome drop-in visitor, immature Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis), taking break on way to warmer winter quarters in the islands.

Comb-crested Jacana lost three of four eggs over the weekend. Nest platform awash for three days but floating higher yesterday (above). Today, last egg gone. Water python? Maybe. Water rat? Maybe. Eggs sunk? Unlikely. Eggs shifted by Jacana? Does happen. But bird almost keening loss today (below).
                           

Shining Flycatchers still on x? eggs: incubation should be nearing end.

And here's another six-year first sighting for me: Brolgas (Grus rubicunda) on the ground (though some overfly most years).