Breakfasting Osprey sees off cheeky Black Kites

Osprey's breakfasting turns to alarm as pair of Black Kites swoop in looking to steal the catch at Town Common Conservation Park this morning.

So, fly over to nearby nest and drop fish off with partner.

Then, rise to see off cheeky kites. One or two close dives enough to see them off. Don't know if fish was returned. Likely not, sharing being a sometime thing with the Osprey pair.

    

Ravenous Raven catches House Gecko outdoors

Australian Raven catches up with Asian House Gecko in Townsville Common today. Bird began ripping at dead branch in tree near Payet Tower, followed fragments to ground and snatched gecko from the debris. Seconds later, gecko gone!

And just up the road Green Tree Frog's last croaks led to search through trees and find of Blue-winged Kookaburra with doomed prey.

Another recent catch in Common, Osprey carries Tilapia back to nest atop comms mast near Pellarenda.

Yesterday, Australian Raven rips at kill far too big for it to be at without the illicit help of night hunters, presumably with dogs and bayonet/s. Happy to see pig numbers cut, not so happy about illicit hunting.

The raptors are all looking down on me

White-bellied Sea-eagle takes a dim view of me possibly too close to her (probable gender) in Townsville Town Common Con. Pk today. Should be another set of eyes (juvenile) looking out from nearby nest soon.

Osprey overhead at dam wall. Several aborted plunges, two big splashes. No fish. But did see off presumed partner to female Sea-eagle.

Swamp Harrier skirmished briefly with Osprey and Sea-eagle before heading south out of their territories.

Black-shouldered Kite nowhere to be seen today. Hard stare came yesterday as I walked under dead tree much used by several raptor species near the airport fenceline.

Satin Flycatcher quests lead to questions of quality

Satin Flycatcher rarity (previous post) Wednesday. No-show Thursday. Three kms up road Friday. Good picture (above).

Four kms back down road Saturday. Terrible picture. No-show Sunday. Ah, the joys of birding.

So much searching and walking, walking, walking. Leave hefty 600mm lens in Troopy. Revert to tired old 100-400. Image quality plummets. Pallid Cuckoo not only pallid but lacks feather detail.

Pheasant Coucal (one of many males out these mornings but getting little reward in hunt for females) not wholly up to scratch.

And yet. And yet with care and little trick or two things needn't look too bad. So, Brown-backed Honeyeater, busy weaving material stolen from Leaden Flycatcher nest, looks better with extra touch of sharpening to eye.

More care processing colour of Jabiru and fish pays off.

But for the real deal and detail, 600mm pointing from Payet Tower up at Osprey reveals so much more, with less sharpening required, though this image needed some colour adjustments.

Lesson: quality counts - and muscles matter!

Ospreys rise above Parks and Wildlife burnout

Look who's back on top of life after having nest and host tree burned down by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service: Osprey pair rebuilding lives and nest in nearby tree in Townsville Town Common Conservation Park. She's toey, but staying close to new nest. He was eating fish on tree across road this morning. Last year's sole youngster may have departed. 

Meanwhile, new life down the road. Bush Stone-curlews with two eggs plonked in plain view close to entry gate. In turn, I've plonked bit of cover around them. Didn't expect thanks and, naturally, got none. 

Parks and Wildlife Service burn destroys Osprey nest

Remember this?

And this?

Or this?

Now the scene is this.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife burned east of road in Town Common Conservation Park yesterday. Nest - with, possibly, hatchling/s - gone. Tree mostly gone. Only one of the three resident Ospreys close by today. Probably last year's youngster, late and yet to go off on its own, nervily calling and being harassed by Black Kites looking for after-burn pickings.

Further up the road, juvenile White-bellied Sea-eagle fared better. Base of nest tree charred and ground around it covered in ash but youngster alert and confident today. Parents not sighted: almost certainly out hunting, maybe to add to the 16 turtle shells at base of tree.

Osprey flutters to deceive

Looks so powerful, balanced and in control, Osprey, wings outspread, about to land on prime perch, yes?

But no, young (about 18 months) bird - formally Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus) - is clumsily flapping a metre off perch down to fork in dead tree.

Then comes scrambling progress up other branch of fork.

Followed by triumphant return to starting point. Why? Who knows. Such questions may really be only for the birds.

Incoming! Osprey clutching lively Oz prey

One of three resident Ospreys near entrance to Town Common wings in with mightily reluctant Gar. Fish fought on vigorously for several minutes.

Two other recent catches of Gar may indicate change of preferred catch, seasonal fish availability, or immature bird's switch from thicker-bodied fish species caught by parents.

Since all three birds have similar breastbands I've found it impossible to tell male from female from immature. Bad luck for the Gar if it was victim to just one of three predators.

Shining moments around foot of tower

Shining moments below Payets Tower in the Common yesterday included surprise visit by female Shining Monarch. Quick flit through trees close to pool's edge and the bird darted off northeast. No sign of male partner but no surprise there. The glittering blue-black males seldom leave heavily shadowed creek fringes, habitat hard to find even at the conservation park's wettest.

Osprey appeared overhead almost at same time. Made three circuits of the pool without ever seeming likely to take the plunge for fish, though a few hefty splashes tell of sizeable targets.

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike struck better luck chasing sizeable insect targets in trees around the tower. Chose always to eat them away from the camera.

And Tawny Grassbird popped up out of para grass dying after recent killer dose of spray by Parks and Wildlife, which wants visitors to see more than high grass at the four main viewing areas. Prediction: Grass back bigger than ever within a year. Watch this space!

Raptors ruffled and unruffled

Striking contrast between raptors from recent morning surveys: Nankeen Kestrel neat, unruffled ...

... White-bellied Sea-eagle, less than unruffled, though not ruffled by my close presence ...

... and female Eastern Osprey showing splendid spread of feathers on return to nest tree.

Next morning Baza bonus:

Brown Falcon, Osprey take a closer look

Big brown bonus of followup search for Painted Snipe (previous post) came with one of Orient Station's resident Brown Falcon (Falco berigora) pair taking up position on handy post.

And showing off every shade of brown on takeoff. This bird may be female because somewhat larger then light-coloured mate, seen, but less often within camera range.

Another raptor dropping in, Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus) making one of several passes overhead during my recent walk out along the Lucinda sandspit.

The bird really did seem interested in me, though hard to mistake camera and lens for something fishy. And Ospreys are rather picky about their food (nothing dead, thank you!).