Brown Goshawk springs from the shadows

Taken more than three years to capture Brown Goshawk up close in Townsville, but action in Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park yesterday made up for that. First spied bird on ground in dark shadows. Flew to acacia, in dark shadow. Vanished into, yep, more shadow. Follow. Nothing. Circle back. More nothing. Movement ahead. Suddenly, bird on open branch in bright light! Better yet, flying toward me ...

To another open branch, close above. Great. But ... always a but. There's something clinging to the bird's mandibles. Good luck scoring bird; bad luck finding messy eater.

Unlike Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. At times messy mischief-makers, they show more delicacy when intent on feeding. Bird above one of 38 chomping on weeds and seeds sprung up beside the Ross River since the banks were flooded and heavily silted last year.

Chance to stand among them and grab a few flight shots.

Not at all interested in daytime flights, Tawny Frogmouth family, just downriver in the Bush Gardens.  All four bit more restless than usual.

Unlike solitary member of species in Cape Pallarenda. Hiding in full view. The birds have notch in eyelid that allows them to look out without seeming able to.

Kingfisher catch one in a 1000

One picture's worth  a 1000 words? Well, here's one worth 1,000,000. It's taken roughly 1000 failures to nail a Forest Kingfisher creating splash on Ross River at Aplins Weir, Townsville, and emerging in sharpish focus with catch, albeit ill-defined.

Here's one of six birds sporadically trying their luck yesterday from high perches in paperbarks edging the riverbank close to the weir wall. Forest Kingfishers don't in my experience dive deeply, preferring to splosh on fish. Most dives are aborted without strike and anyway aim for insects above the surface rather than fish under it.

They don't  often let their guard slip enough for close approaches. So preening sequence of bird in front of Payets Tower in the Townsville Town Common Conservation Park last week came after slow stalk towards busy bird.

Also from Town Common, early morning bird greeting those with eyes to see just before entrance to the park. Eyes to see? Sounds ever so slightly critical? There is a point to the pointedness: birds may be everywhere around us, if we really look and really listen. Enjoy!