Thursday, October 30, 2008

Miss wagtail, tern, turn to lark

Drove out to a series of treatment ponds this afternoon to check for Yellow Wagtails, migrants at this time of year from Japan and northeast Russia. The birds like areas of drying sludge and sometimes associate with Australasian Pipits. No sign of birds and shortage of sludge.


And no luck trying to capture flight shots of Whiskered Terns snatching flying insects from just above the surface of two ponds. A female Magpie-Lark (Granilla cyanoleuca) took a calmer path through the air, because it was not interested in hawking for tiny elusive prey.


White-breasted Woodswallows (Artamus leucorynchus) are very interested in flying prey. But this bird was even more interested in a series of intricate wing flapping and tail twitching exercises. I'm not sure what this behaviour - confined, in my experience, to solitary birds - means. Perhaps no more than avian PE.

5 comments:

Mosura said...

Both great shots especially the Woodswallow.

Denis Wilson said...

I love those Woodswallows. Such neat birds.
Shame about the terns being too nimble for you, and the Yellow Wagtails not being there at all..... Very inconsiderate of them.
Cheers
Denis

mick said...

Great flight photos. I definitely need a new camera!

Duncan said...

Love that woodswallow Tony, I reckon it's just showing off.

Tyto Tony said...

Thanks all for looking in. It's odd, I'd thought ML would have greater appeal, because it had been harder work for me. But the WBW did all the work - and won the day!

Mosura: Thanks again

Mick: New one's working for me.

Denis: My terns will come!

Duncan: I reckon you're right.

Head up for dragonfly, head off for fish head . . .

One moment it's dragonfly trying to dance on White-bellied Sea-Eagle's head, the next it's all go for fisher's discarded fis...