Tough to stalk the stalk-carrying Black-necked Stork

Here's Mr Sneaky, whose nest is just behind us - somewhere. He's sneaky because he takes different routes out and in on flights to collect grass for nest lining. And he always carries the grass so it covers the left side of his head. How sneaky is that? Tough to stalk the Black-necked Stork.

Nor is it easy walking through high guinea grass and swampy sedges to say good morning to Black-shouldered Kite. Bird considered the friendly greeting, shrugged the black shoulders, and delivered the old cold shoulder.

Much friendlier, fast-maturing Australian Hobby. Gidday, I shouted from Payets Tower in the Town Common. Gidday yourself, bird said. Well, maybe it didn't. But it did cast careless look at me before going back to ignoring efforts by Whitebreasted Woodswallows to move it on.

And old mate White-bellied Sea Eagle put up with considerable inane conversation before letting loose with an excretive expletive and departure as I got too close to perching place near locked gate at turnoff to Bald Rock.

Just across road on the same morning, Rainbow Bee-eater shows at its best in cool early light. But - always a but - it ignored the two perches free of distracting foliage. Easy, sez you, clone em out. Now, there's the problem. All that lovely background is full of subtle colour changes, making cloning nigh impossible to conceal.

The question seldom ever arises with Tawny Grassbird. Here's a bird that delights in tormenting. Pops up for a split-second, dives back into thick grasses. Or emerges from tangle of twigs and poses against the messiest of backgrounds.

Often in the same habitat as the grassbirds, Red-backed Fairy Wrens oblige by moving through trees and clearer foraging spots. Not too sneaky. Not too shy. Not too quick. Only ... only the red and black males don't oblige near so often. However, all things come ...

Birds on wire, and slyer higher flier

Species catching the eye lately along my favourite country road include Tree Martin (Petrochelidon nigricans): this bird one of about 100 flocking between unsealed road surface and barbed wire the other morning. 

No flocks for Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis). Not usually seen on barbed wire: too busy in grass and low bushes sharing scolding calls with partner. Species always sounds disgruntled. 

And Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis) - sharing exactly the same habitat and conditions - usually sounds absolutely content. Interpreting bird sounds via human emotional responses is for the birds.

Finally, one for the birds in a strictly predatory sense, Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis). Smallest I've seen and presumably a male, bird seemed barely close to the 30cm of usual 30-35cm size range. But more than enough to scare most other birds in the area.
Click pix to enlarge 

Golden, tawny, or browned off?

Bird names can be somewhat colourful. Is this Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis) - on the alert amid scleria - really so golden? 

Was someone on the mark or on the port in naming the Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis)?


The birds may look alike, because they share grassland habitat, but the small Cisticolas tend to avoid the shaded branchy bushes the bigger Tawnys go to when disturbed. Further to my point, Tawnys always sound browned off.  

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!

So near and yet still too far

So close, but not quite! It's been one of those weeks. Plenty of action and colour, let down at the final stage by inability to get the killer picture.

Thought I had a sharp shot of this Azure Kingfisher carrying a fish for its nestlings (burrowlings?) yesterday, only to find shaky tripod and high ISO rendered the bird blurred and looking as if I'd gone mad with the saturation slider. On the plus side, the bird went almost straight to the burrow. The minus side? An hour's wait and no more action.

Today, this male Red-backed Fairy Wren carrying a red enticement for females danced here and there on the Scleria. Just wouldn't stay still and unobscured long enough for anything better than this hasty effort - and many others even less successful.

Good pose from a distant White-browed Robin in the shade. This typical robin angled hold on a vertical trunk is seldom seen in Tyto, possibly because White-broweds behave and forage more like flycatchers or fantails most of the time. This bird was taking a short break from nest-sitting.

Finally, this Tawny Grassbird the other day led me a circular dance through long grass and under low trees. Round and round we went, the bird singing heartily and me muttering mightily. It might look a draw, but I think the singer more or less won the day.

Tawny away with the Fairy

Tawny Grassbirds (Megalurus timoriensis) filled the air with their chiding descending songs in many spots at Tyto today. Though they've been noisy for some time activity has stepped up.

Field guides offer a range of northern breeding periods, from a broad August-April to a narrow February-April. Not much doubt, however, what all the to-ing and fro-ing is about.

Makes thing easier for birdos. Not so much easier for photographers, since the birds are so intensely busy and vanish in a flash. Nests, too, when built, are difficult to locate.

Got myself into great position today for the pictured bird. It struck a perfect pose. Camera - set on AI servo for tracking shots - found the low contrast and stillness too much! Perfect pose squandered! Sorry, but second-best has to do for now.

Different story, similar result with a hyperactive Fairy Gerygone (Gerygone palpebrosa).

The birds usually move through a wide variety of trees in groups of six to eight, rarely still and seldom low in foliage. (Unlike White-throated Gerygones (Gerygone Olivacea), usually in pairs, almost always in paperbarks, and scouring them from top to bottom.)

Today's solitary Fairy, busy foraging, stayed low in a small tree and near the outside of foliage close to me. Too close, in fact, since I had trouble locating the bird in the viewfinder.

In the end, no great picture. The bird was too quick and the foliage too thick. Pity, but there it is. Two almosts for the day. But two pictures to build future hopes on.