Black-throated Finches feel right at home among weeds?

Black-throated Finches no-shows today along the natural beauty of Sachs Creek in Oak Valley southwest of Townsville but showed up fully at home amid rampant weeds and many seeding grasses between nearby old and new highways.

Here's the irony: disappearance of some finch species inland has been put down to, among other things, war won against Rubber Vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) and Chinee Apple (Ziziphus mauritiana). What's running riot near Townsville, specially through the Ross River Dam catchment? Yep, the terrible twosome. But they offer small birds great protection.

Back in Oak Valley, Blue-winged Kookaburra  pauses between minor scuffles with others of same species.

Pale-headed Rosella too gentle to scuffle. One of seven seen this morning.

And Brown Falcon stretches wings before drifting off over the tree tops to a more secure vantage spot.

Black-throated Finches rouse old memories

Quick trip to Oak Valley - just southwest of Townsville - yesterday to look for endangered Black-throated Finch refreshed memories. Fourteen years after spotting pair in tree near creek on boundary of the nature reserve found another two birds.

Flash of colour in tree on creek bank about 40 metres away, brief hop and stop. Grab quick burst of shots, lose focus, regain focus, lose birds. Gone, just as they did 14 years ago. Hang around. Nothing. Just like 14 years ago. More trees - and many more newly planted. But no good news for native grasses and, therefore, the finches. Huge contraction in their original (pre-European) range has left a few shrinking pockets of the species struggling against inexorable habitat changes. I've been lucky again - no such luck for the Black-throated Finch.