Invention takes a break after fixing Troopy suspension

Enough with crocs and snakes, time to have a look at June's best birds in the Town Common Conservation Park. - with a call for some effort from followers. Heap of bird names first, pictures to follow. He must be feeling lazy, did I hear somebody say? Right on. Busy day crawling around front suspension of the old Troopy after sudden arrival of ominous noises yesterday. As always, parts proved a problem. But eventually bodged up a fix or sorts. Careful test over the corrugated Town Common road tomorrow. So, the birds: Pacific Baza, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Crimson Finch, Australian Reed-Warbler, White-browed Crake, Willie Wagtail.

Crimson Finch feed of seed fills need to breed

Female Crimson Finch feeds on roadside grass in Townsville Town Common Conservation Park. One of a few pairs lately showing signs  of impending breeding.

 

Elsewhere, White-throated Honeyeater offers happily uncluttered pose.

And Comb-crested Jacana pauses during brief time away from usual wet surrounds.

 

Takes a Sheila to show Aussie birders Satin rarity

Oooh, look! What's that shiny black and white bird? It's so smooth and black on back and head. Could it be a rarely seen Satin Flycatcher in the Common today. Yes, it could. And it took a visitor from Wiltshire way, Sheila Ashley, to see it first. Proving that one good turn deserves another, she and husband Paul were being shown around by Len and Chris Ezzy. I tagged along. Lucky all of us.

Not so much luck involved in seeing a few other species commonly seen lately. Rose-crowned Fruitdove seems content to stay forever close to favourite feed trees near Freshwater hide.

Which is close to where immature Australian Raven was today tucking into fish, without parents or sibling trying to cadge a bite.

Not so many Sharp-tailed Sandpipers at Pandanus viewing area today, but caught some showing off in recent times.

Male Barking Owl certainly not one to show off, but every now and then he glowers for the camera.

More glow than glower from Nankeen Night Heron, missing today from Melaleuca hideout but almost whitewashed me nearby just the other day.

Much noisier and more easily spotted, adult Dollarbird one of four calling and shifting position often this morning near Payet Tower.

But no sign today of immature Spectacled Monarch, above with, I think, Crane Fly.

Crimson Finches seldom fail to turn up, nor did they today.

And one of highlights for Sheila and Paul, apart from the Satin of course, male Great Bowerbird busy, busy, busy about his bower. Happy too, crest-risen, as opposed to crestfallen.

What a pity we're too far northeast for Satin Bowerbird and Satin Flycatcher in one day. That'd just be greedy though, eh?

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year from some Townsville Common friends

Crimson Finch, Golden-headed Cisticola, Dollarbird, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Black Swan, Pelican and Royal Spoonbill, Red-backed Fairy-wren, and one of two unexplained recent arrivals.

When you've GOT to go, you've gotta go

Got up early and got down to waiting for some sunshine to get Australian Reed-Warblers up and going in their stretch of Common Reed (aka Bamboo Grass and got more names). Got good shot of bird near top of reed stem.

And got lucky with bird that had just got lucky.

Also got up close to one of several Crimson Finches getting active in small Pandanus.

Got these shots of Crimsons the other day.

Got Leaden Flycatcher hopping on Pandanus branch.

And got female Olive-backed Sunbird getting into nicely colour-matched nectar-flower.

Got to get Double-barred Finch on to today's list.

Now, got to get to the GOT:
Onya, Arya! Starkest of the Starks. Cracking opening to season 7

Gotta go now.

Crimsons charting course to the top

Bad news for all those fed up with endless images of Crimson Finches from Tyto. You're in danger of finch flood from Townsville Common.

But it's not my fault. Deep research (10 minutes on ebird) this morning reveals the Crimsons are taking over. From none (yes, none) listed in 2009, Crimsons now rank more or less equal with Double-barreds in sighting frequency and numbers. Left trailing, Chestnut-Breasted Mannikin and Scaly-breasted Munia (Nutmeg Mannikin), which just five years ago ruled with Double-barreds.

What's more (or maybe less, who knows?), Crimsons like water, and Townsville's been particularly dry for 5-6 years.

But so as not to be accused of speciesism, here's the other finch frontrunner.

Can DBs keep up with competition? I suspect they're slightly less adaptable. So, my money's on the Crimsons if the conditions that have brought about the dramatic change in their numbers, whatever they may be, continue. They'll outbreed the others.

It's time we heard from the birds

Not so cute! Not so cute!? Whaddya mean? Got my eyes, yes? That'll do for now. Nobody calls any child of mine 'Not so cute'. Come back in two weeks and you'll see!

Sit still! Sit still! Who are you to tell me to sit still? I'll fluff and flounce and fling my feathers any way I please. So there. Oh, all right. But you'd better be quick about it.

Sing? Sing? It's not enough that I'm going out of my way to cling to the green stuff and look pretty? You want singing as well? Go see my cousin across the way, now there's a singer for you.

Barking Owls, Crimson Finch, Golden-headed Cisticolas

Luck takes a hand in what's spied from the hide

Lady Luck got to work for me in Tyto today. Been haunting the hide of late because water levels gradually dropping and offering bit more mud for White-browed Crakes - in particular - to forage on out in the open. Doubly lucky to get a bird right below hide, after just missing great action shot yesterday.

And there have been teasing calls - mainly from afar, once quite near - from Australian Little Bittern/s. More luck. Today's sighting of female and male could not have been made from the hide. Distant picture above of male with treefrog (probably Peron's - usually brownish, but as with many frogs able to change colour) came as I was returning after quick check on nesting fantails and sunbathing python.

More luck. Walk to Northern Fantail nest led me to almost step on Large-tailed Nightjar. Blur of brown before my eyes and much diversionary fluttering followed. 

Bird kept trying to lure me away. I kept trying to locate egg/s/hatchling/s, oh so cryptic and laid or lying near the track. We both failed. But all the time being taken produced the lucky sighting of the bitterns.

So, just for luck I'll throw in a few more from the latest Tyto outings, starting with Brown-backed Honeyeater.

And ever-present Crimson Finch, female chomping weed seeds.

Solitary Sulphur-crested Cockatoo sitting a while before beginning to chomp chucks out of perch.

And Common Koel male taking break from noisy advertising for females. But he'll probably get lucky. Just not so lucky as this watcher.