Sunday, October 12, 2008

Rare morning in the rainforest

The rainforest creek pools today produced rare local sightings of Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt) and Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollaniae). Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor), Shining Flycatcher (Myiagra alecto), MacLeay's Honeyeater (Xanthotis macleayana), Large-billed Gerygone (Gerygone magnirotris) and Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea) also showed up.

Sadly, not one bird did a photographer any favours. The scrubfowl strode off sturdily, the pitta made a colourful exit into tall timber, where the channel-billed perched heavily for a few seconds before heading west, the Azure streaked away, the gerygones busied themselves in the nest, the honeyeater (below) grabbed an insect and departed, and the flycatchers mostly detoured around me.

The latter behaviour at least explained why the birds have been difficult to track. Most Shinings I've encountered elsewhere - even along similar small creek systems - stuck close to the low ground and shadowed areas. The present pair make darting flights sideways into the forest, or weave through the trees parallel to the creek before turning to forage again along the banks (male, below).

In Tyto proper, a Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) - first for several months - stood out in the midst of the expanding set of regulars standing in the rapidly evaporating shallows.

7 comments:

Neil said...

Great site if you did not have your camera they would have most likely stayed longer as is the way when birdwatching.

Mosura said...

Some wonderful and exotic birds you mention in this post. The Channel-billed Cuckoo, Azure Kingfisher, and Glossy Ibis are familiar to me but the other 5 I'll probably never see in the foreseeable future which is why it's great to read about them here.

mick said...

Great lot of birds even if they didn't all stay still for your camera.

Tyto Tony said...

Hi Neil: But if I didn't have camera - and binos - I'd be (not feel) naked.

Hi mosura: Are you seeing Channel-billeds down there??

Hi Mick: Great? They're ingrates. I want to show them off - and they're just keen to be off.

Allen said...

Next time try taking a video to capture motion. See great tropical forest videos at http://www.ethanol-lie.com

Mosura said...

No not down here. I used to see them up near Tamworth in N.S.W.

Snail said...

You can certainly see why they're called shining flycatchers!

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...