Little Egret, Red-capped Plovers fight for last bites

Last days of 2017, last days of action on, around and over the last two pools as Townsville Common wetland hardens under baking sunny days - which may last past January. So, bit of pressure for last of prey, as above with Little Egret flexing muscles and wings and things to see off fleeing rival.

And junior Red-capped Plover letting older bird know who's stud of the mud.

Red-necked Stint sticks to stints picking up prey and avoids those picking fights.

Black-necked Stork won't be walking across Payets pool with any more tilapia until next year's Wet (if it comes - no sure thing for Townsville). Even the hardy pest fish species are dying in the deoxygenated water.

But there's still prey enough in the air on and just above the water to keep Gull-billed Tern coming back every day.

And there'll always be the birds to keep me there day after day, wet or dry. Here's to 2018 and more Peregrine Falcons, White-bellied Sea-eagles and Whistling Kites, and . . .

Young Cassowary heads the week's roundup

Up to Wallaman Falls to hunt for Cassowary and almost fall over big juvenile upon jumping (aged knee joke) from Troopy near known haunt of resident male. Hurriedly grab camera, five frames, junior takes off and gone, swallowed up by forest. Fading juvenile stripes showed down front of bird, which didn't look big enough to be fending for itself. But long search in all directions turned up no trace of adult male (responsible for all hatching and rearing).

Down at Jourama Falls, Topknot Pigeons out and about in scores, though seldom dropping in anywhere near me. About 60 birds coming and going, stopping mostly on native olives (no threat to any farmed olive). Two of 60 was as good as it got for me.

Nearby, Dusky Honeyeater getting stuck into insectivorial side of its diet. Most honeyeaters are happily gymnastic in the hunt for leaf-laid food.

At Mungalla Station, Tawny Grassbirds made rare showings out of their frustratingly enclosing habitat. Closed in slowly on sodden bird during morning wash. Got no closer before it flew on to barbed wire (an ugly look). Then into hiding. But its mate came out and showed off in the open (ugly background but better than on barbed wire).

Among the mangroves at the end of Orient Road found bigger targets than expected, with two of about 30 Pelicans circling low above me after quitting one of last remaining big pools of king-tide saltwater, soon to evaporate away.

At Tyto, Jacana takes in extras along with dead glasswing plucked from the muddy edge of the main lagoon. Ants foraging on the insect carcase are about to disappear into the bird, except those falling back to the surface.

Closing this quick roundup of sites, Red-capped Plover stands its ground along the Lucinda sandspit. Not my target on the day, but all the migrants stayed well clear. Not to worry, the tides are more in my favour later this week. And, who knows, maybe more tidings of Master Cassowary!

Mungalla mob masses amid mud

Massed Egrets and Spoonbills crowd Mungalla Station wetlands for final feeding flurries before the shallows become fast-drying mud, probably  within a fortnight as the dry season intensifies.

Some migratory visitors are more than happy to see more mud. Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) numbers lower than in past seasons but starting to rise.

Also showing up to spend time on the mud, Red-capped Plover. Nonbreeding plumage gives only hints of the birds' breeding colours. 

From an earlier, rather colourless day, pair of White-browed Crake (Amaurornis cinerea) poke about among blue waterlilies. 

Plover poses - Pipit pauses

Hot-footed it across Lucinda sands yesterday in pursuit of Red-capped Plovers (Charadrius ruficapillus).

Mostly, birds faster than me. But one hopped onto driftwood and stopped briefly.

Also darting about the dunes, Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).
Click pix to enlarge

Red-capped Plover hot-foots it

What's this, hot-footing it down my favourite country road today? 

Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) ran away down unsealed road and back towards car before taking off. First I've seen in the grazing area, though not an uncommon inland visitor.


Also of note, great increase in numbers of Australasian Pipits on the road, possibly a hint that other grassland species may soon be back.


In the meantime, four holdovers from the roadside.

Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)

Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites basalis)

Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella)

Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton). Best I've got outside of Tyto.
Click pix to enlarge   

Thick-knee trots over sands

Beach Thick-knee (Esacus magnirostris) trots over the sands at Taylors Beach, near Ingham, as I looked - in vain - for coastal waders on a low-tide morning this week. Blame, in part, the sand. Surging floodwaters early in the year washed sand over former areas of mud and sea grass. So the beach flats hold fewer feeding attractions.

Here's the only other bird that came close to the camera. No surprise that it's a Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus). Not too many beaches up and down the coast without a pair of these plovers running busily here and there.