Cormorant shuffles off mortal coil in python's coils

Water Python coiled around Little Black Cormorant beside pool in Townsville Town Common (03/11/24). Snake probably took bird in the water and dragged it up bank before being sighted as it was getting into the serious business of swallowing prey.

Roughly 30 minutes later, job done and snake, which had allowed myself and friend Wes Graffin to stay within touching distance, was fully alert and capable of swift movement, sliding quickly into para grass cover when touched lightly by hand.

 

And a bonus near same spot later in morning, Lesser Black Whipsnake gliding over part of drying lagoon. 

 

Latham's Snipe lands picture perfectly

Been spending more time lately stalking birds around edges of drying lagoons in the Townsville Town Common. But nothing will come close to sharp pic of Latham's Snipe splashing down at Melaleuca viewing area. Rare instance of absolutely everything going right for just the one frame in a high speed burst. Best pic ever for me. I don't enter comps, but if I did . . .

Nothing too much wrong with one or three others this month, starting with Bar-shouldered Dove.

Rufous-throated Honeyeater out in the open has some merit.

And couple of Radjah Shelducks up close rewarded a patient approach. Now to just wait patiently for several years for something to come close to the Latham's! 

 

Look sharp at Sharpies but beware wild goose chase

Look sharp! Look, Sharpies! Sharp-tailed Sandpipers that is. But wait, look sharpish! What am I looking for? Uncommon Pectoral Sandpiper. Sharp cutoff in breast streaking. Touch of yellow at base of bill. Look hard. Nothing. And thus fail to notice uncommon Curlew Sandpiper right under my nose. Broad white rump, black downcurved bill. There for all to see. Or all those not on narrow focus wild goose chase. See how you go.

Elsewhere lately, finally caught up with a Latham's Snipe a month or two after the first migratory arrivals from the Northern Hemisphere.

It was mixing with a few Sharpies, which are always more obliging when it comes to hanging about for bird photographers. If only Pectorals were as obliging . . .

Bowerbird finds females hard to impress

Great Bowerbird busy showing off crest and various bower treasures to passing females at Rowes Bay site in Townsville on a recent sunny morning.

But they proved impervious to both his charm and his motley charms. Hard to please some birds!

 

Left him moping about, probably wondering what else he needs to win them over.

 

How to take daytime pictures of an Eastern Barn Owl

Buy a retirement village studio unit close to right habitat, let's say the Townsville Town Common Conservation Park,  Queensland, Australia.

Bird in the park often each week for, say, about eight years. Don't stick to the road and formed tracks. Overcome fear of long grass.  Take care to make friends of snakes and other threats.

Finally, stumble upon and flush sleepy owl from low in shrubby tree in untrodden area of the park. Watch where owl flies. Check camera settings are right for owl's probable further flight.

Guess right and grab about 12 frames with Canon R5 and 200-800 lens. Pray for and later find a few sharp images. Easy peasy, as they say. 

    

Magpie-larks busy mud-nest builders

Caught pair of Magpie-larks busy building mud nest in rain tree beside Rowes Bay Wetlands in Townsville this morning. 

Not every burst of images of the birds coming and going brought sharp captures but auto focus worked well enough to enable me to string together a reasonable sequence of shots.

By late morning the nest appeared close to completion, though probably some fussing about with  bowl lining still to come. 

Raspy result for nest-ripping raven

Australian Ravens love ripping into leaf spider nests and taking them to gravel road or open ground to mop up all the youngsters running for cover.

This week in Townsville Town Common, a surprising change of diet. From nest near identical to that of the silk-weaving spiders bigger prey, Raspy Cricket. Species? With 220 in Australia alone I'll stick with common name. The crickets are also silk spinners.

 

But mostly, in my experience, it's spiders and more spiders most of the time.

  

Calm cormorant tolerates clumsy clamberer

Clambered clumsily over clammy mid-tide rocks to rock up close to tolerant Pied Cormorant near my near-to-seaside retirement unit the other morning. Just the two of us, both waiting for some signs of passing fish. No luck. So, Cormorant took off gracefully, having caught nothing. I bumbled back to coastal walkway, thankfully having caught a few decent frames. Nothing venture . . .

Jewels under rainforest canopy

Jewels under rainforest canopy, spider and web caught in serendipitous beam of sunlight: Townsville Palmetum yesterday (10/07/24)

Two-storey tall story about Cockies' avian Air B&B

Here's a two-storey story from two Sulphur-crested Cockatoos after they triggered false fire alarm in Townsville's Town Common Conservation Park this week.

Birds were so busy cleaning out hollows in recently burned out dead tree the clouds of fine white ash particles issuing forth looked from a distance like smoke, as if fire was still smouldering within.

Cessation of the work and emergence of the somewhat dusty pair from the connected hollows told the true story. The birds may have previously bred in another tree hollow about 200 metres away. It also offered two hollows, but they appeared less closely connected. 

Makes one wonder if such a notably clever species might be getting into multiple mansions. Maybe even thinking about avian Air B&B?

Dusty pickings for magpies on dunes

Dry and dusty pickings for Black-backed Magpies on the dunes at Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park, Townsville, these recent blue-sky days.

But nearby neighbouring Sacred Kingfisher shows off probable Asian House Gecko, though perhaps the missing tail became part of a magpie's dried diet.  

Looking down is looking up with 200-800 lens

On the road with my new 200-800 lens in semi-macro mode: hairy caterpillar curled up; curl grub also curled up, naturally; processionary caterpillars; velvet slug. While birds are in low numbers this year, looking down is looking up - but looking up binomials isn't my thing.  

Splotchy sighting breaks fairywren drought

Low bird numbers in Townsville Town Common Conservation Park most of the year. So I was happy that when a Red-backed Fairywren bobbed up the other day it at least stuck around long enough to get sharp shots of its charming splotchiness. First of the species in more than 10 long surveys in the park. Of course, three others turned up, briefly, elsewhere in the same morning. 

Quality results from versatile 200-800 lens

Finally got my hands on Canon 200-800mm lens after 3-month wait. Just what I'd hoped for: not far short of 100-500 image quality at 500, equal to plastic 800 prime's performance. Extra bonus, which won't be everyday use, short minimum focus distance, allowing for limited semi-macro shooting.

 

So, ignored gusts battering at me and tottered along Townsville breakwater the other morning. No great reward for the experience but OK pictures of Darter and Reef Heron.

Yesterday, snuck up on Black-necked Stork pair in Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre Wetlands and luckily wound back frantically to catch female turning in flight towards me. Missed male capture of fish but got wee part of his water-dance sequence.

And Straw-necked Ibis near crash gate 8 in the Town Common allowed me to wander in close enough about a week ago to capture some of its glorious colour. 

Pretty, and pretty good for a lens that didn't come close to breaking the bank, I reckon.