Many a catch to prey pictures

Hard work catching up with the few Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes (Coracina novaehollandiae) in Tyto this past month.

So bit of luck getting shot of one about to swallow insect.

Not so lucky, Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta). Lightning jab into the water comes up empty. 

Intermediate Egrets (Ardea intermedia) catch more fish than Greats, but mostly so tiny they are usually swallowed in a flash.  
Click pix to enlarge

Fishing for Great Egret, and facts

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) in mid-swallow today at Tyto after bird caught me napping. Stood around for some time and didn't look poised to strike. I looked away for a moment and missed the catch.

Series provides an excuse to toss in a moodier morning image from a few days back.

And here's a female Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) taking off today from grassland near info centre. Almost certainly one of pair of storks in wetlands the other day with one immature. Pair raised three young three years ago.


By no coincidence, the reduction is in keeping with my general sightings. Bird numbers, and species, mostly lower than previous five years in Tyto. Insectivores notably down. Why? My guess (stress on guess): Jan-Feb 2009 floods, shire spraying and  2010's dismal extended wet (still going) have thinned out or removed much vigorous under- and over-growth. Fewer insects. Fewer birds. August species count usually 115-118: this month 109.
Click pix to enlarge   

Standing and delivering the goods

Caught this Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) adorning post on my favourite country road today. 

Some birds just stand around and yet command attention.

Bush Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius) shows plenty of presence, at edge of new Tyto lagoon earlier in week.

And Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) commands paperbark heights above another Tyto lagoon.

Lone egret makes a catch

Solitary Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) tosses up catch of the day at Tyto this morning.

Fish part of the bird's take from one of many temporary grassland pools swollen after a fortnight of heavy rain punctuated by dispiriting drizzle. Plenty of fish but almost no birds chasing them. That's what happens when the wetlands gets too wet.

Forest Kingfishers (Todiramphus macleayii) sit out an Easter shower.

Picture taken as I waited in vain for break in weather and chance to photograph Comb-crested Jacana sitting on eggs. Today, eggs gone, submerged by three days' downpours. Also missing: female Shining Flycatcher; though male showed up briefly at nest. Fingers crossed!

Varied catch, luck for fishers

Varied diet among birds stalking alongside and in the lagoon lately. Eastern Great Egret (above and below) grabbed and scoffed six fish in a 20-minute burst.

Darter didn't do so well with this large catch. It tried many times to flip the fish (about 30cmx12-15cm in my estimate) and catch it head-first. But the bulk and size of the silvery 'monster' proved too much and the fish slipped away.

Little Pied Cormorant did better with slender eel. Took a few false swallows, but eventually the catch slithered to oblivion.

White-necked Herons don't seem too interested in trying for large fish. This bird content to grab small prey from the muddy shallows. Must be satisfying enough. It's been working the western end of the main lagoon for more than two weeks.

Peacefuls plus bits and pieces

Sometimes the birds under our feet in suburbia can be the most difficult to sneak up on in the wild. Peaceful Doves (Geopelia striata) in Tyto rarely stand for being walked up on. These two birds allowed me nearer than usual, but not close enough.

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) easier to close in on. The difficulty is trying to control the dazzling whites. (This is made even trickier because my notebook's LCD screen is typical in being extremely sensitive to tiny changes in viewing angle.)

From big to tiny: Little Kingfisher (Ceyx pusilla) on scleria in front of the Tyto hide yesterday. The birds have given up the remnant pools on the outer creek and shifted to fishing at various points within the main lagoon system.

Bonus bird for anyone chasing kingfisher is Australian Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus australis), more often heard in the scleria than seen on its fringes.

But still no sight or sound from the scleria of the Little Bitterns that inhabited several areas before the floods of January-February drove them elsewhere.

And a quick note of overall August sightings: 111 species, 6 down on July, 8 down on August last year. A few more snakes however: 8 species for the month (of 12 on my total list in 5 years).

Great Egret flops to win fish

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) launches from a paperbark today at Tyto.

Bird then made a surprise belly-flop into the deep water and came away with large fish.

Not the standard egret fishing technique. But the big swallow certainly was!

Also flying after leaving the water, a White-browed Crake (Amaurornis cinerea) leaves a series of droplets in its wake.

Great Egret makes great swallow

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) makes a great catch and swallow look easy at Tyto today.

After lightning grab the bird strode away from the water, released the fish and regathered it head-first.

Quick juggle and down it goes.

Then, with fish still bulging within the lower neck, it's back to fishing.

Herons divided, and a big dipper

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta, above and under) and Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) present no ID problems when seen together. But when they've all been away for some months and return as isolated birds doubts can creep in.

Size apart, two differences are the extreme angularity of the Great's neck and the gape, extending behind the eye (whereas it stops under Intermediate eye, below).

No problem in Tyto last few days. Both species dotted about the lagoons, competing for the spoils as two dry weeks herald good times among previuosly flooded grasses and reeds.    

Pacific Heron (Ardea pacifica) and equally shy White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) also popping in most days, though less likely to stay once disturbed.

Also standing out, male Black-necked Stork (Phippiorhynchuse asiaticus) taking up one of several great gulps of water. As one of the stars on show, this must be the Big Dipper!

Modem fixed for now. No thanks to Telstra help desk. Old trick. Unplug. Wrap. Cool for 24 hours in fridge. Hey presto! 

On the wing and showing some skin

Bit of a fling for birds on the wing today. Australian White (Sacred) Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) led off to a promising start. Noticed several birds showing pink breeding bars at back of neck yesterday. None obliged today. Did capture bird coming into tree (below) and displaying bare scarlet skin underwing, another breeding signal. White Ibises often look dirty from a distance. The plumage can be gloriously pearly seen up close, but few people in suburbia want to see these roof-fouling dump scavengers up close.

Black Kite (Milvus migrans) the only one of four raptors caught on the wing. Till the shire dump next door to Tyto closed about three years ago, the kites competed with ibises and Torresian Crows for easy pickings. Now, kites and crows can be hard to find some days. Even harder to find, the other three raptors (all photographed, but from too far off): Nankeen Kestrel, Grey Goshawk, Whistling Kite. 

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) easier to see today, with five unexpectedly winging in to join one bird that has been around off and on for a few weeks. Blue sky of earlier in the day had given way to light cloud when this bird flew overhead. No matter what colour the sky, pure white birds drive me and the camera nuts.

On a more positive last note, a few returnees: Silvereyes, Tree Martins, Royal Spoonbill, Northern Fantail, Green Pigmy Geese, White-necked Heron, Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike.