Some birds close to my heart of things

Home's where the heart is, close to home's where many of my birds are. Benefit of buying into retirement village surrounded by conservation parks and other wildlife and marine areas. Some sightings lately:

Brahminy Kite, one of pair often seen on local dead trees.

Brolga foraging and flying close to the kites' lookouts.

Australasian Figbird about 100 metres from Brolga's reed patch.

Pheasant Coucal close-up and close to Figbird's perch.

Scaly-breasted Munia (was Spice Finch, then Chestnut-breasted Mannikin) by coastal walkway.

Not quite all in one day's walk, but part of my recent days' walks.

 

 

Pelican's 'catches' out but cuckoo catches on

Pelican might have done double take, or double miss, at nearby Rowes Bay lagoon as first a small fish executes a teasing jump and then a spectral fish forms from back splash created by passing Little Black Cormorant (obscured by Pelican's head). Typical fisher's tale of the ones that got away.

 

No such bad luck for juvenile Brush Cuckoo about to receive insect prey from parasitised Brown-backed Honeyeater 'parent' in local park recently. So quick was transfer that though I was shooting at 12 frames per second the grab and gulp fell entirely between frames. 

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 fish head rolling in the light surf at Cape Pallarenda, Townsville, this morning.

Head off to rip into one's snatch of the day. 

Gull cometh the raw prawn with me

 Silver Gull with Banana Prawn, Cape Pallarenda, Townsville, Feb 2024

Gulls lively during high tide surge

Surging high tide spilling into temporary lagoon at Cape Pellaranda  this morning provided some easy pickings for Silver Gulls that usually hang around for scraps from Townsville beach-casters. And action aplenty for bird photographer!

Rainbow Lorikeets brighten January gloom

Dismal outside. Still catching up on sleep after Cyclone Kirrily knocked power out and neighbour's generator roared for near two days and nights. No posts all month. But sun did shine earlier in January. Mostly one morning, on raucous Rainbow Lorikeets in now mildly tattered gum. So, some colourful cheer to spite today's wet gloom and forecast of worse to come for rest of week.