Bushlark hunt thankless tale of bogeys and birdies

Can be thankless job trying to help travelling birders find that one species they're chasing. Some bogey birds seem always to be there yesterday and tomorrow for those desperate to see them and ever here today for those trying to help. Thus, Horsfields Bushlark amid samphire this morning beside road to Bald Rock in the Townsville Common. One of six for me, yet seemingly a species unsighted in three mornings by English visitors.

Also in the same patch - and worthier image - Australian Pipit ruffling plumage after skiff of rain whizzed by.

Tawny Frogmouths come high on some lists of must-sees. Female in small paperbark in Pallarenda Conservation Park yesterday watches unseen, often with male partner, as visitors come and go. But no guarantee that two directed to the site today will have seen the bird/s.

More generally many would love to capture Rainbow Bee-eaters - in all their splendour. Finding the birds isn't the problem. Finding them in exactly the right place (low down, close up, in focus, cleanly backgrounded) not so simple. Above image close as I've come for several months. Two out of four ain't bad.

Samphire step-out with flighty Bustard

Saunter over samphire and other salt-loving stunted stuff today turned briefly into long-range stepping out withAustralian Bustard.

Distance between us narrowed slowly before the bird chose company of two others well away from me.

Which left the plentiful Horsfields Bushlarks free to tease with flights all around me. Fluked just one aerial frame.

But similar walk the other day - and some knee-walking-crawling - turned up one Bushlark more trusting than commonly.

More crawling elsewhere led to closeup of Australian Pipit.

And nearby found Lesser Black Whipsnake sunning on ground turned over by pigs. No crawling, not for fear of snake, rather because it let me walk within touching distance.

Top picture taken from 5metres with 600mm lens, above picture from 20cm with newish iPod. Note the difference in image quality.

Horsfield's Bushlark makes the dust fly

Warm days and dusty cattle tracks draw Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) out to compete with Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae) for a share of pasture pickings.

Got close to the dust-bath action the other day at Mungalla Station.

Dust flies as bird wriggles in.

And feathers dance as breeze picks up.

Mustn't leave Pipit out of the picture. One on a post from awhile ago.

Limping back into action

Broken toe on mend so took trial walk into Tyto today. Slowly in, slowly out, and slow birding in between. So we must do with some holdovers, starting with White-browed Robin (Poecilodryas superciliosa) pausing during morning 'wash' among condensation-soaked leaves of Bleeding Heart.

Another Tyto robin standing out attractively.

And here's a female Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) with fruiting Leichhardt trees as backdrop. Fittingly, because group of five birds were feeding greedily on fallen fruit at the time in Tyto.

Also feeding, Australasian Darter (Anhinga novehollandiae) a few weeks back in Mungalla Station. Fish looks a bit too big? No problem. Flick of head, gulp, gulp, and fish was gone.

Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) on Orient Station fence seemed unsure of final destination for prey, carrying it along fenceline with several stopovers. Lost track of bird. Perhaps feeding a youngster somewhere. Image also contains evidence of being 'squared up' in processing. See it?

Stubble Quail stumbled upon

Stumbled upon Stubble Quail (Coturnix pectoralis) in drying grasses at Mungalla Station today, some distance from usual haunts near creek track and in weedier mix of flora. No sign of any partner, but luck mainly determines sightings of the species.

Much more easily found, specially this very dry year, Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica). The birds seem to be thriving in competition with  the scores of Australian Pipits ever present on tracks and bare spots in the grasses, though the Bushlarks favour slightly greener cover.

Bushlark emerges from sea of grass

Hard to find Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) and other grass inhabitants unless they take to the barbed wire above the lush growth these days of a so-far floodless wet season around Ingham.

Most years these Orient Station cattle would here be knee-deep in water in mid-February, not surrounded as today by seas of tall grass.

Up early to spot more Spotlesses

Up early to catch Spotless Crake (Porzana tabuensis) or two out on the drying weed mat in front of the Tyto hide today.

The red-eyed 'chocolates' stand out in the light but fast melt into the scleria shadows if second thoughts arise.

And on to three cases of second thoughts, images processed but set aside and later redone. So ...

... Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica)

... Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis)

... Dragonfly in flight: rare successful exercise with 300mm lens and manual focus.

Dry and hazy but not so dusty

Bit dusty along Orient Road these days as we await the Wet, but images of Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) from earlier in year not so dusty. From memory, the idea was  to show that level wires (and birds) beat the as-shot tilter.

Lesson from Shining Flycatcher (Myiagra alecto) at Jourama Falls is clear: the bird isn't  close enough. In passing, the creek-loving pair recently abandoned a sturdy nest - after having a previous effort collapse into the water.

Much haze turning stealing all blue from the sky this past week, so Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus) in Tyto pales in comparison to many shots of the species, though the delicacy of colour pleases me.