Raspy result for nest-ripping raven

Australian Ravens love ripping into leaf spider nests and taking them to gravel road or open ground to mop up all the youngsters running for cover.

This week in Townsville Town Common, a surprising change of diet. From nest near identical to that of the silk-weaving spiders bigger prey, Raspy Cricket. Species? With 220 in Australia alone I'll stick with common name. The crickets are also silk spinners.

 

But mostly, in my experience, it's spiders and more spiders most of the time.

  

Blue-faced really enjoys juicy greens

Blue-faced Honeyeater doesn't need telling twice to eat its greens. Insect in the Town Common, on the other hand,  guilty of an existential blue in being seen by a hungry bird. Mantid or katydid? Bird didn't care. I'm not sure.

Invention takes a break after fixing Troopy suspension

Enough with crocs and snakes, time to have a look at June's best birds in the Town Common Conservation Park. - with a call for some effort from followers. Heap of bird names first, pictures to follow. He must be feeling lazy, did I hear somebody say? Right on. Busy day crawling around front suspension of the old Troopy after sudden arrival of ominous noises yesterday. As always, parts proved a problem. But eventually bodged up a fix or sorts. Careful test over the corrugated Town Common road tomorrow. So, the birds: Pacific Baza, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Crimson Finch, Australian Reed-Warbler, White-browed Crake, Willie Wagtail.

Cracker! Whipsnake finally fronts up

Months of seeing back half of snake slipping away into long Town Common grass without being absolutely sure of species ended with Greater Black Whipsnake yesterday finally presenting front half to camera. The para grass surrounding the pool at Payets tower is probably home to more than six snake species. Mostly they're seen when swimming across open water.

One of their prey targets, Two-lined Dragon well out of snake danger on bonnet of Troopy. Nope, not my doing. It appeared from 'nowhere' the other morn. Clear bonnet one second, Dragon hood ornament the next. Odd, because dragon claws don't grip like skinks'. As seen when it nipped through open driver's door to inside Troopy but was easily scooped up as it kept trying to scale rubber matting over transmission tunnel, getting halfway up only to slide back down again.

Wouldn't be easy scooping metre's worth of Yellow-spotted Monitor from inside Troopy. But though the invitation's been made a few times my friend with a big earth burrow at the Pandanus viewing area prefers to walk alone. And it's a bit too big to pop out of nowhere and perch on Troopy's bonnet.

   

Grey Goshawk brightens up the mornings

Been a bit grey at times this week but that's a good thing when it's a Grey Goshawk in the trees. Taken me more than six months to catch up with and capture an acceptable image of the species in the Town Common. Thanks owed to Spangled Drongos for flushing bird three mornings in a row.

Technical bit may be of interest. Top image: 600mm lens; above: 600+1.4x=840mm. Locked tight on sturdy tripod. Cropped to more or less same size bird. As usual (in my experience, especially at long distance, as here) prime lens alone outdoes same lens plus converter. The pros mostly disagree - and produce better results. You pays your money ...

It's not been all grey. Caught juvenile Brown Goshawk at start of soar into the blue. Almost certainly same bird shown in post last week. Also hounding and hunting other birds lately have been mature goshawks, at least one Collared Sparrowhawk, and a young Australian Hobby. Raptor-ish days!