Surprise Satin Flycatcher find an easy stroll next door

How smooth is this? Stroll next door - to Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre wetlands - and stumble upon Satin Flycatcher, very, very uncommon to the area. Plenty down south. But Townsville, of course isn't down south. So, spot black bird with white belly on Saturday. Great!

Sunday, with another keen birder, see same species, but to my mind different bird from first. Great again, but pictures inconclusive. No show yesterday or today. Not so surprising. Who knows where birds uncommon to an area will move to? Or when?

Uncommon highlight today: 2m+ Carpet Python, unconcerned by six Great Bowerbirds and a Yellow Honeyeater mobbing it. 

Life's looking up - much still in the air

Life's looking up! Lockdown's lifting! Much, though still up in the air. So, casting eyes skyward: Nankeen Kestrel about to make light of large grasshopper.

Blue-winged Kookaburra flashing across field of view, and taking off treewards.

Yellow-throated Miner quitting low perch.

Black-eared Cuckoo, second only listing of species in Townsville Town Common Conservation Park, on wing and shadowed perch.

Carpet Python close to touching sky, high in Leighhardt tree in Ross River Bush Garden.

And, down to earth, young pig reveals air of suspicion when met gobbling on greens in the park.

Lovely day for rare find of four Lovely Fairies

Lovely morning for a lovely walk and lovely find of four Lovely Fairy-wrens rarely ever seen in Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park, Townsville.

Also perfect timing just ahead of a planned Queensland Parks and Wildlife burnoff of upper slopes about 300 metres north of the birds' location. Slow burn from top down unlikely to threaten any part of birds' habitat, but who knows?

Two of the four clearly adult male and female. But sketchy info on immature birds little help deciding whether third bird -  clearly male - is immature, or adult going to eclipse plumage. My guess: immature, because eclipse seems unlikely in what must be family group. Fourth bird not clearly seen, but  may be immature female.

Also colourfully enhancing the park, Cooktown Orchid, probably long ago fixed on tree amidst about 12 buildings dating back to the park's quarantine station past.

Other birds today: Orange-footed Scrubfowl and Laughing Kookaburra.

And a recent find beside a track: placid 2-metre Carpet Python.

Long, long time to find short, short snake

It's only taken nearly forever to find the supposedly common Red-naped Snake. But then I don't live in Ipswich where gardens are said to be alive with the small harmless cuties.

Specially small and cute when found as pint-size (20cm) juvenile under a dead log near the Townsville Town Common entry gate. So, within, say, another lifetime should find a 40cm adult. Lot of logs to be shifted.

No need to shift logs to find bad-tempered Carpet Python sunbathing in Payets Tower. That big lump at the rear helps explain the don't-mess-with-me attitude.

Uncertainly tempered at best of times, Carpets dislike being approached when weighed down with a heavy meal. Argument that the tower is for people not snakes made no headway.

Another Common-dweller appreciative of human structures, Mud-dauber Wasp, in gentle pursuit of gathering nectar (in competition with honeyeaters). Gentle as compared with waspish habit of paralysing prey and popping it into mud nest as food for solitary implanted embryo's first meal.

Kingfishers enjoy frogs. But, what species of frog?  The birds don't care what dwarf green tree frog they're bashing on branches and gulping down. Scan of field guides and online pictures didn't turn up frog with strong black marking from flank and across eye. Questions, always questions.

Snarky snake turns from defence to offence

Ooo, look, poor old Carpet Python caught in double link fence keeping unwanteds out of airfield alongside Townsville Town Common Conservation Park.

Better help before a predator comes along, perhaps one of the four-wheeling variety: 'The only good snake is a dead snake!'

Ooo, but look, scene's not what it seems. Snake not stuck. Doesn't want any help. Wants closer taste of something in front of it.

Sneaky snake. Trying to bite hand, or worse, of helper.

Ooo, look, set to strike. Time to put Ipod down and speak sternly to snarky ingrate. Wasted words, of course. Bad-tempered, Carpets. Put camera between us. Better snake spittle on lens than teeth in Tony. Taken more than seven months to find big snake in the common. Worth the wait!

Mungalla days not all about Yellow Wagtails

More chasing Yellow Wagtails at Mungalla for the last week, without notable capture of the species in the camera.

But it's not all about the flighty migrants. Rainbow Bee-eaters are breeding in their sand tunnels and watching for food passing on the wing.

A Royal Spoonbill pauses in the mopping up of prey in a fast-drying pool of mud and dying water hyacincth.

One Intermediate Egret shows out from scores of others atop nearby trees and drops in to feed.

An Australian Pipit has the hunt for food down pat.

White-breasted Woodswallow takes up higher vantage point.

One of the hundreds of sources of Pipit pedestals enjoys an extended scratch in an ear (probably not uncommon behaviour but something new to me).

Nearby, tight-coiled Carpet Python rests motionless, unconcerned as camera closes to within a metre.

Not so still, Gould's Monitor caught away from boltholes and trees to climb considers its situation:  cautious walk away proves the right answer.

Flying foxes keep hanging around

Flying foxes hanging around in thousands and slowly killing their colonised trees in Ingham's Memorial Gardens. Not even last week's 170km/h westerly blasts shifted any on.

Also hanging around, three recent(-ish) reptile pictures from here and there:

Carpet python up close and set to strike (indeed, soon

gave the lens a nudge)

Saltwater croc carries bits of salvinia camouflage

Frilled lizard clings to 'safety' of dead tree  

Treesnake and python stare into the lens

Change of pace with few birds on the Orient Station fences today, but Common Treesnake stayed on the barbed wire for close approach.

Typically feistier small Carpet Python in Tyto Wetlands yesterday not impressed by camera in face. Stalemate after a couple of futile strikes at lens.