Quite some birds with very few words

Time to tidy up blog pictures file. Some images fail to trigger use on or near day of shooting and somehow time passes without them triggering what might, with luck, be considered a few interesting words. So, no more words - just some birds.

Galahs:

  Brown Honeyeaters:

Golden-headed Cisticolas:

Silver Gull:

Lovely Fairywren:

Time, tide and chance - and Mangrove Robins

Getting close to Mangrove Robins usually means getting gumboots out of the old Troopy and - after clumping along for a bit - getting into the muddy habitat they're most at home in. At home with, among others, mozzies and midges and myriad webs festooning foliage. 

At home, but seldom welcoming intruders. They let the Brown Honeyeaters and Mangrove Gerygones dart about the outer mangroves while they stay tucked away, often for long spells without any of their rather mournful calls.

So, it's a happy morning when time and, importantly, tide and chance play their parts and two or three birds for some reason overcome all natural caution and come forward close to the stranger in their midst. Not, perhaps, once in a lifetime event, but certainly a memory to enjoy for a lifetime. 

  

My name is AussieManDeus, King of All Things

 

                  My name is AussieManDeus, King of all Things;

                  Look upon my Works, Universes out there, and Despair!

               

Assailant stork seals rat's hash

Sorry about terrible pictures, but not as sorry about things depicted as unwary Water Rat. Caught attention of male Black-necked Stork in Town Common Conservation Park this morning.

Stork failed with first strike. Returned to para grass at edge of pool a few minutes later. Rat hadn't learned lesson. Strike two too fast. Stork swiftly carried rat off to back, shallower, part of pool.

Rapid series of plunge, drop rat, strike, plunge, stab, plunge, stab, stab put paid to rat, drowned or battered to death.

One final grab, first gulp and rat gone. Stork's partner, close by in pool, ignored it all. 

Osprey gobbles Tilapia gobbet

Large red gobbet of Tilapia for male Osprey today in dead tree near recently vacated nest beside road into Town Common, Townsville. Partner vanished swiftly at my approach in long grass and tangles of fallen trees. And no sign of juvenile, only 10 days or so since it was perched above one of the pools from which today's Tilapia almost certainly came. 

Also in the area, Little Pied Cormorant, on fallen tree in fast-evaporating pool. Bird allowed uncommonly close approach - walk and talk has its merits.

Lesser Black Whipsnake lightning fast at breakfast

Lesser Black Whipsnake lightning fast at breakfast in Town Common, Townsville, this morning.

Look away, skink lovers. Seems first strike at prey hidden in recent grader scrapings catches skink's tail. After second strike snake reverses with writhing skink grasped firmly around middle. 

Three speedy grip changes and twitching skink is being swallowed head-first.

Gone in less than 90 seconds after second strike. One of Australia's fastest moving snakes no slouch at swallowing moving feast. 

  

Much better late than never from overdue Ospreys

Weeks after I gave up on them, pair of Eastern Ospreys have produced the goods. The two pairs of pale yellow-eyed birds at the nest with a gold-yellow-eyed juvenile suddenly on show. Why so late? Who knows, perhaps one or two eggs laid in first week or weeks on the nest failed. Maybe no laying at all in first weeks of female sitting on and fiddling with nest. Anyway, I've offered my apologies to the pair. Another humbling brush with the facts of life. Seems we're never too old to get these things wrong. Above: Juvenile, on left, obscures third bird.

Other raptors up in the air lately include Brown Goshawk, seen above at other end of the Town Common, Townsville, before tangling with Brahminy Kite. And below, Brahminy with snatch and grab on its mind.

Discord - Cocky screech v possum hiss-snarl chords

Screech! Screech! Screech! Hiss-snarl! Hiss-snarl! Hiss-snarl! Screech chord. Hiss-snarl-chords. Discord.

There's nothing Sulphur-crested Cockatoos like more than a good screech. Any trigger will do. Finding possum in hollow dead branch set four off in Town Common Conservation Park today. But birds stayed outside the hollow. Hissing, snarling, clawing possum not to be messed with. Ten minutes of vocal violence and they were off. Nature's not so red in truth at core.

Update: Still limping along, but leg wound healing, stitches out soon, all going well. 

Fairy Martin quester away with fairies, leg smartin'

Thought I'd chase better pictures of Fairy Martins collecting mud for nests in nearby culverts at Town Common Conservation Park, Townsville, this morning.

And probably would have. Until clumsy bicycle dismount ended in bloody mess. Bloody as in gaping fold of skin open below left calf. Running (limping actually) repairs with hanky and plastic bag. Find some lost US Marines on wrong side of airport fence. But no first aid kit. Also, no sense of direction!

Cycle home for rough and ready cleanup. Nearest Sunday morn open surgery in CBD - conveniently under library which wanted three books back tomorrow. Job done. 

The real job took bit longer. Some rather painful local injections. Doc prods for numbness. Begins painless stitching. Stitches. And stitches. Still stitching. Tissue-paper skin keeps giving way. Think he is fussier than me. How does it look, he asks. Lying on my stomach and barely able to twist head to see wound, I reply 'Great', fearing we might soon be into skin grafting. After all, what's to worry about a hole at the back of the leg?

Well, infection, that's what. Cue scrip for seven days of microbiome disaster. Although maybe that's better than an infected lower leg rotting away and falling off. And the left is my good leg. Finally, lots and lots of wrapping up and down leg. Which must stay dry, dry, dry before inspection next Friday. The 13th. How's that for a cheerful omen! And keep leg elevated while staying off it as much as possible. Tried that, have you? But will do my best. 

Meanwhile I offer those who've got through above mini-med-drama a couple of better pictures. Scant reward, I know, but best I can do. 

Young Brush Cuckoo, lacking tail because steel gate rail is in the way.

Golden-headed Cisticola, conveniently perched close by where the Martins were taking mud.

    

April 1 ominous date for fool's watch at Osprey nest

April 1 possibly not best date to start watching ill-fated Osprey pair start third breeding attempt inside 15 months on nests either side of road into Townsville Town Common Conservation Park.

But seems birds decided at the weekend enough was definitely enough at about 30 days over the usual 90-95. No more toing and froing with fish and new nest sticks. No young Ospreys. Again. 

Again, as in early last year. About 60 days of female on same nest. Male dutifully bringing fish. Then, unexplained overnight abandoning of nest. Soon after, new hope. Birds returned to former nest. Breeding cycle began again. And was abandoned about 120 days later.

Ill-fated? There's more. Third (original) nest and nest tree lost in 2018 blaze. One, rather than previously regular two fledglings, followed after another nest was built nearby. The nest has since collapsed.

So, today. Some Woodswallows above the latest nest. Egrets and Ibises in pool below. And a Muscovy Duck - dumped in the park, probably on Sunday or Monday. 

No sign of Ospreys.