Koel gets blue in the face over honeyeater

Female Koel gives Blue-faced Honeyeater an earful today while standing her ground against gang of hostile honeyeaters and friarbirds. Two male Koels ignored by the unwelcoming committee added their raucousness before all three slipped quietly away.

Nearby, helpful breeze reveals usually unseen white neck underplumage of Torresian Crow and thereby helps identify accompanying immature bird. At issue is balance between the only corvids around Townsville: Torresian Crow and Australian Raven. Crows dominated 10 years ago but it appears they are now outnumbered in places. More to come on this.

Cracking start to the day for young and old

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos can't get enough Casuarina (she-oak) nuts some mornings, cracking into them and digging out the tasty seed within. Other days they fly on by, usually from south to north. But the more common fare is Sea Almonds. Male bird above quitting Casuarina (twiggy background) and preparing for landing amid the almonds.

Female carries green almond away. the birds seldom wait for the fruit to turn a ripe purple. And often chomp and tear away the flesh from one end only before moving on to another. The reward for persisting through to cracking the almond pod (stone) open is a single small seed. I guessthe birds must get some sustenance from the green fruit fibres.

Easier to see where the sustenance comes from for this young Pacific Baza, getting excited by the approach of food-bearing parent. Another of the seeming never-ending cicada supply. So many still in trees you'd think the youngster, one of a pair being fed by both parents yesterday near the Town Common gate, would be able to grab some for itself.

But no, that's what the oldies are for. Hop to it, Ma or Pa!

Meanwhile, as their offspring may be eating something meaty courtesy of deceived parents, Eastern Koel pair tuck into figs, a leisurely life free from the burden of babycare. Koels are, like most cuckoos, lucky: they take the kids back around the equivalent of human teen time. No dramas. Off they go. Happy as. Or, at least, so it seems. Can't see that ever ending happily among us. Though, some parents ... and some teens ... maybe???
 

My, what a big eye you have . . .

1: Coprosma (Scrofa) Hawk Moth (Hippotion scrofa) waiting out the day on 
old umbrella after escaping recent rains by sheltering under caravan 
awning.

2: Yellow Emperor (Dragonfly) (Hemianax papuensis) drying out on scleria 
stem after early morning crawl from Tyto creek and emergence into the day.

3: Female Eastern Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) has eyes only for fruit on cheese tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) in Tyto. 

What's black and brown and blue and sad?

What's black and brown at the same time? Immature rufous morph Black Butcherbird (Cracticus quoyi race rufescens), as seen from distance in Tyto today, with black splotch on breast showing the all-over colour to come as bird begins second moult on way to turning black.

What's black and brown at the same time? Pair of Eastern Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus). But the streaky brown female wouldn't sit still in fig tree with male above at Mungalla stockyards.

What's black and blue without being bruised? Male Shining Flycatcher (Myiagra alecto) foraging on ground near Mungalla stockyards.

What's black about nesting Mangrove Robin (Peneonanthe pulverulenta)? Finding her gone yesterday and no sign of the two hatchlings from two days ago. Snake? Frog?  Raptor? Third tale of sorrow for the pair: nest abandoned; eggs snatched; hatchlings taken. Bugger. Bugger. Bugger. Better luck next time?