There's Bushlarks and there's bush larks

Here's a Horsfield's Bushlark. Often seen these days on the bund between Freshwater and Bald Rock in the Townsville Town Common Conservation Park. Note it's a Bushlark, not bush-lark, nor bush lark. There are eight other subspecies but Horsfield's is nominate (first classified). It wasn't always thus: for years it was a Singing Bushlark. But taxonomy rules. Anyway, onwards. 

Many visitors to the park, probably in truth most, don't seek Bushlarks so much as bush larks. These include hoonish driving on the much potholed corrugated metal road and predictable damage to vehicles and trees. Fast-food container and other rubbish disposal along the road. Guy in utes with dogs (forbidden), looking for pigs to hunt (forbidden). Multiple visits for no apparent reason (if not forbidden, maybe unsavoury). Explains big collection of X-rated old vids found under a prickly pandanus a while back. 

But carrying larks to a real carry-on began last Saturday night (I believe: following is my guess at start of events). Bloke and young lady enter park late (automatic front gate out of action lately). Ignore parking bay and drive down walking track to Payets Tower bird hide. Good time up in tower. Comes downfall. Buckets of rain. 4WD on flooded grass. Gets bogged. Call help. Sit out night. Help arrives in morning. Older bloke with 4WD and big dog (forbidden). Mother of young lady in small car. Tow-out begins. Tight angles. Tension between mum and bogged bloke. Newly arrived birders watch on. Tree loses bit of bark. Blokes bark a bit. Dog silent. Young lady silent. Mum not. Nor bogged bloke. Finally, tow success. Another bush lark gone wrong.

Better sticking to Bushlarks, I say.

Birds bit noisy, pictures less so

Looking sharp along my favourite country road today, an Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae), one of scores active and even singing a bit on road, grass and fencing. 

Awkwardly posed, but also sharp, a Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica). Plenty of song from this and a few others of the species.

And from Tyto today two views of a cheery churry Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus), building, yet again, in front of the hide. 


Those bored by camera details should look away now. All the above images shot at ISO 400. No noise reduction applied. Lately been told Canon uses under and over exposure tweaking to provide intermediate ISOs from the primary 100 200 400 800 etc. Pushing 200 to 250 (my previous preferred setting) creates picture noise. Helps explain high ISOs many use. Nikons don't have the problem.

Back to today's birds. Bit of takeaway food for immature Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus). 

But turtle proved too tough a nut to crack. Even mature birds try and fail to open turtles up. I suspect, on rather limited observations,  that White-bellied Sea-eagles get to the meat of things by carrying turtles up and dropping them. However, I've only ever seen the pickup.                 
Click pix to enlarge   

Pipit sits still in place of Cisticolas

Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae) obliges by sitting still on barbed wire more often occupied by Zittings and Golden-headed Cisticolas.

Plenty of them, usually on the road. Not so common for them to allow an approach for closeups. (Brown Falcons again too fast off their fence posts as I drove up yesterday.)

Couldn't resist a few more shots of Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica). They're so willing to sit still it seems almost rude not to stop, swap a few words (theirs much sweeter than mine) and hope for something different.

Tried without success for close shots of their fluttering flights. Light turned grey ... and then came the rain. Which has yet to really stop, 24 hours later. February's proving a wet one!

Winged whingers and sweeter singers

Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis) perches high during 10-minute burst of persistent calling with partner in Tyto.

Most members of the species most of the time sound somewhat aggrieved: two in 'concert' top the bill as winged whingers. Totally unfair to the birds, of course.

Elsewhere, Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) decorates roadside barbed wire and adds sweet song series to the morning. But Bushlarks always sound happy.

All human nonsense of course, sound alone often being unreliable guide to birds' state of mind. Just as high praise for the 'beauty' of other birds' songs is unfair to lesser songsters. It's all in the mind, you know!

Also mostly in the mind, fear of snakes. Above, young Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) intent on a scent trail. After spotting snake I crawled toward it, hoping for action closeup, perhaps even threat display. Didn't happen. Snake ignored me until I was about 1.5 metres off (minimum focus for 300mm lens) and then sped off down a weedy bank. I know snakes aren't for everyone, but such meetings are fun. So long as there's no risk of harm to snake or to me!

Zebras come out of hiding

Seen no Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) for years anywhere near Tyto, or indeed Ingham, but came upon three small groups along a grazing land road today.

Knee-length grasses hid them most of the time. So it became one of those mornings when the barbed wire was a blessing.

The wire also supported several Horsfield's Bushlarks (Mirafra javanica). Managed to bring the old Toyota Camry hide to a halt without scaring the above bird off. 


Finally, a teaser. Found a rare pair of birds today. Stood for more than 30 minutes watching and hearing them whizzing above and about me in the open grasslands. Too fast and erratic in flight for any hope of a picture. Perhaps on the barbed wire tomorrow...    

Young finch poses as robin

What's going on here? Young Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton) in Tyto today hasn't yet learned that posing slantwise across trees is for robins. Seed-eating finches have little need for such insect-spotting poses.

Another young bird, a White-winged Triller (Lalage sueurii), divided its time the other morning between hunting for prey and chasing parents for easy tucker. The trillers, and cuckoos, are doing it tougher after rains and weed spraying have reduced insect numbers.

Here's a bird proved doubly hard to identify. Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) popped up at distance on barbed wire fence near Ingham. Not a Tyto visitor. No reason why the species shouldn't drop in: they just don't. Even after spotting and identifying bird in field guides, still had trouble listing it. Forgot 2008 change of name from Singing to Horsfield's.

PS: Also forgotten, that silly 2010 resolution about not using dud pictures