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.

 

 

Hobby launches into big bird, lunches on dragonfly

Australian Hobby gets right into the face of passing immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle in Townsville Town Common Conservation Park this morning. Bemused big bird betook itself away smartish.

Can't imagine the Hobby thought of the Sea-Eagle as competition for the dragonflies it was launching after and lunching upon. Shouldn't be crabby - because near none in the Common.

And when an intruding Brahminy Kite came along and launched itself into the water-lilied waters and flew off with talons full of weed and maybe obscured prey the Hobby took no action. But loads of action for the observer.

Grabbing, tearing, probing - unmoving

Three ways of catching some protein and wee portions of other nutrients, seen in the Townsville Town Common lately. Nankeen Kestrel flew from low perch, grabbed grasshopper or locust on the ground and carried it into the sky to feed on the wing (on not off, because insect wings are often discarded).

Australian Raven has torn spider nest from Corymbia tessellaris and followed or carried it down to roadside. The birds use road because spiders inside are easier to find on or hiding under road metal. I believe Torresian Crows, supplanted by the ravens in recent years, don't share the passion for such fare.

Spangled Drongo tears into gumtree bark that has split apart after last year's hot fires through the park. Lost track as it flew off but probably a caterpillar went with it and would not have lasted long.

Meantime Brahminy Kite disdained any such grabbing, tearing and probing, unmoving above the Silver Gulls grabbing slivers of discarded bait as beach fisher at Pallarenda refreshed his hooks. Though the kite is much more a scavanger than, say, the Osprey.

Much better late than never from overdue Ospreys

Weeks after I gave up on them, pair of Eastern Ospreys have produced the goods. The two pairs of pale yellow-eyed birds at the nest with a gold-yellow-eyed juvenile suddenly on show. Why so late? Who knows, perhaps one or two eggs laid in first week or weeks on the nest failed. Maybe no laying at all in first weeks of female sitting on and fiddling with nest. Anyway, I've offered my apologies to the pair. Another humbling brush with the facts of life. Seems we're never too old to get these things wrong. Above: Juvenile, on left, obscures third bird.

Other raptors up in the air lately include Brown Goshawk, seen above at other end of the Town Common, Townsville, before tangling with Brahminy Kite. And below, Brahminy with snatch and grab on its mind.

Swamp Harrier drops in for closer views

Swamp Harrier stopped months of teasing at distance and circled pool in front of Payets Tower in the Townsville Common yesterday. Unclear what it was interested in, apart from possibly one of resident Darter pair in water. Which would be much more ambitious target than the diet of grasshoppers the Swampy's mostly been on lately.

Elsewhere in the air recently, Brown Falcon near Woodstock ...

... and Brahminy Kite over the Ross River.

Huntsman bagged, turtle jagged, mantids snagged, kite ragged, monitor flagged

Wasn't hunting the Huntsman when this Huntswoman turned up in carry bag discarded by the Ross River. She didn't need a bag because she supplies her own to carry her large family of tiny offspring about.

Though looking frighteningly big and speedy to some, Huntsmen merely tickle slightly crawling up an arm - mine. Can't report on the youngsters because all were quickly returned to the bush.

Wasn't after dead Turtles either. But came upon this one initially being ripped into by pair of White-bellied Sea-eagles (their favourite food, I think). My sudden appearance led to killers fleeing and secondary feeders, pair of Australian Ravens, dropping in.

They, in turn, were driven off by immature pair of sea-eagles, which, in their turn, gave way to this immature Wedge-tailed Eagle. The eagle tried to fly off with turtle, dropped it deep in paragrass, .and all ended up missing out. Chances are pigs or dogs sniffed it out later.

As with sea-eagles, Brown Falcon likes to sit and wait for prey (big insects, small reptiles preferred) to appear.

It didn't take kindly to Collared Sparrowhawk collar its crossbar. Odd row ensued. Falcon drove Sparrowhawk to tree. Irked, Sparrowhawk took on much bigger aggressor. But lost out after bit of to and fro in tree and above.

Another loser, today near Bald Rock in the Town Common, Brahminy Kite. Three kites about the place, but no match for 14 Australian Ravens.

In all, saw four ravens take mantids (probably Brown Praying Mantis) from melaleucas within 10 minutes, one doubly successfully with two in bill at same time. Showing off, that is!

Shoving off rather than showing off, Yellow-spotted Monitor close by today decided to swim for it on my approach. Didn't reckon on departing tide. Played dead. Allowed itself to be stroked, picked up and when released swam off sedately. Luckier than the turtle.

Reality of the fish that got away just old crap

Plenty of fishing stories boil down to little more than boring old crap, as Black-winged Stilt feeding today in shallows near Payets Tower might attest. Might, if it had bought into above inadvertent illusion.

'Fish' turns out to be boring old crap stuck on the mud. Just another story about the one that got away.

Whited-faced Heron (same site, two days ago) comes up with dinkum catch. Not a fish, but anything living in or near the water is fair fare.

Brolgas don't come up with many fish but like getting stuck into the mud. And muddy water. Many these days showing necks stained brown by the now fast-evaporating water.

Getting a bit dry on slightly higher ground.

Higher still, Brahminy Kite (once often miscalled Fish Eagle) circles the Payet Pool. Species can tell few fishing stories as it's more likely to be seeking to hook insects or frogs from sedges and reeds.

Whistling Kites also show little fishing ability, though a few (ditto Black Kites) learn to watch for and snatch dying fish as they rise gasping to the surface of stagnating waters.

Kite flies for easy pickings

With Tyto fish deaths comes the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus). First downpours of this season's Wet last week brought usual rush of fish large and small into newly flooded  areas. 

Not all made it safely back (perhaps, like salmon, they're not destined to). Dead fish dropped on footbridge - possibly one too many for lone Brahminy - previously thrived by 'hoovering' lagoons, often in large surface schools. ID to come. 
Click pix to enlarge

Baza goes for smash and grab

Smash and grab Pacific Baza (Aviceda subcristata) spreads wide and handsome in tree-top hunt for frogs and mantids. The birds sometimes choose to crash into upper foliage, shocking prey. Pair nesting high behind Tyto info centre amid tall paperbarks come and go mostly unnoticed. 

Also active, until the latest rains reflooded the area, pair of Brahminy Kites (Haliastur indus). Keen interest in weed-free lagoons coincided with schools of fish 'hoovering' surface water. 
Click pix to enlarge

Flash experiences not so flash

Toured down my favourite country road today with flash new flash and hopes of finding Lemon-bellied Flycatcher (Microeca flavigaster) in coastal woodland. Bird turned up briefly. Flash failed, then overcompensated.

Did better unflashed with Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) glaring down from distant height.

Better yet with flashy unflashed Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) sitting unruffled by gusty winds and my approach on foot.

More flash on this Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus). Like bird's surroundings, flash new flash rather complicated.  

Brahminy heads shaky showing

Trip to Townsville yesterday meant chance an hour or two through the Town Common, a magnet for birders. Notable sightings of several raptors chasing various prey. Notable lack of luck capturing anything. Above Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) best of a shaky showing.

It was sharing perch and launch tree about 50 metres from the Freshwater Lagoon's formidable concrete bunker of a hide with an immature Brahminy, which I mistook at first for a Little Eagle. Junior took up positions almost impossible to photograph. And every dive it made for insects took it behind cover.

Even this Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami) near the hide refused to get into the clear. To be unkind, could be because such looks really shouldn't be paraded in the open.

Back at Tyto, male Shining Flycatcher about to feed demanding throats. Picture from earlier in week but same story today.