Oriole gets the juices flowing

Yummy! Self-creaming breakfast. Olive-backed Oriole gets juices flowing in the Townsville Common yesterday after bashing caterpillar catch against a branch. Two Orioles were among a wee wave of insectivores not often seen in the park recently.

In the same casuarina as the Oriole, immature Rufous Whistler takes smaller prey. (Seen in same tree, but no usable images, Restless Flycatcher and Spectacled Monarch).

Today, came across Rainbow Bee-eater intent on tiny prey emerging from road metal. Tiny flying ants, I think, though nothing found upon search after bird flew off.

Easier task obtaining food for granivores. But Double-barred Finch mistimed grab at tiny flower, presumably carrying wee seed. Several finches were busy picking at the plants.

Nutmeg Mannikin (formerly Spice Finch, latterly Scaly-breasted Munia: what goes round ...) sticks to grass seed. (An uncommon four flocks of 8-16 Nutmegs seen this morning, about double usual numbers).

Orioles offer rousing sounds

Tyto's close to southern edge of range for Yellow Oriole (Oriolus flavocinctus) and its rousing, ringing 'cholonk, cholonk' and raspy sneer.

Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) extends over huge eastern and northern range and offers gentler 'olly, olly o', musical muttering and softer sneer.


Both species busy in the wetlands these days, though often heard rather than seen clearly. 
Click pix to enlarge

Yellows brighten grey days

Cloudy week calls for touch of colour to lift the spirits. So, even Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) in Tyto yesterday comes with bright yellow background (crocodile warning sign).

Keeping with the theme, Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vielloti).

And even brighter, Yellow Honeyeater (Lichenostomus flavus). Warms the cockles, yes?
Click pix to enlarge 

Olive-backed Oriole heads tidy-up

Super Wet set in last night, bit of flooding around Ingham today. More on way. Time to tidy up held over pictures, headed by maturing Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus), showing plumage changing about the head.

Sought better images of Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) for months, but the birds stayed high in the trees before quitting the wetlands altogether. 

Still a few Brush Cuckoos (Cacomantis variolosus) in Tyto, mostly heard rather than seen lately.

And plenty of Pied Imperial-Pigeons (Ducula bicolor) in the area, though more often in small flocks overhead than perched in rain trees.
Click pix to enlarge

Kite flies at head of Tyto tidy-up

Going away for a few days next week, so time to tidy up some Tyto holdovers. First up, Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) with, possibly, breakfast of juvenile Buff-banded Rail, atop the 'Osprey nest tree'. And the same kite below.

Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) has a hungry look.

Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum) emerges from deep within preferred habitat.

White-bellied Cucko-shrike (Coracina papuensis) sits up in the morning sunlight.

And a Willie Wagtail to finish off with.

Who gives a fig for colour?

Green, Yellow, Banana. All colourful names. But no more for the male Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vielloti), above thinking about swallowing another of the dry, tasteless (to us humans) fruits it loves - and few other birds show great fondness for.

Figbirds came in two races, S. vielloti and S. flaviventris, till the split was ended with a revised list (Christidis & Boles) early this year. The male birds will continue to show big differences: northern yellows grading through to southern greens.

Closely related to figbirds (usually on the same page in field guides), the Olive-backed Orioles (Oriolus sagittatus) are less obvious and seldom so brightly plumaged as the above juvenile bird. Much of the contrasting colour on the back will disappear with adult plumage.

So much for colour. What about sounds? I've often been struck by what appears in honeyeaters to be more curiosity about strange noises than other birds show. This White-gaped Honeyeater today seemed to react to the Canon's clattering shutter.

I'd been standing in long grass chasing Tawny Grassbirds when the White-gaped darted in and struck several 'listening' poses as the camera clacked away. Honeyeaters are also among the few birds ever to react at my otherwise ineffectual 'pishing'.

While on the subject of theories, limited searches of possible Little Bittern daytime hideouts have revealed absolutely nothing resembling the apparently shaped space found last month at the base of a small tree springing from Scleria (Razor Grass). Guess it was just a natural artifact.

Finally, the issue of huge fish and small Azure Kingfishers nestlings. First readings suggest the birds simply truck the fish in. If the fish is eaten, fine. If not, it can sit and rot in the darkness. Along with bones, other unwanted morsels, excreta, and anything that may have crawled in.

Can't wait till nestlings have fledged and I get a chance to sniff the delicate odour of Azure domestica! :-(