Beware that snake in the grass ...

Life was looking bright for male Red-backed Fairy-wren near Jacana hide in Townsville Common.
Quiet patch, no worrying competitors, industrious partner. Nest built, two eggs laid.

Then. Grass nest robbed overnight. Dastardly snake in the grass. Bury one's head in grief? That's not the way in nature. Just got to get on with grooming and life.

Also getting on, companionable White-lipped Green Treefrog, resident of Payet's Tower viewing platform. Resident indeed for so long it's initiated colour change to better match shaded interior on the upper deck of the tower.

Change also elsewhere in the conservation park. White-bellied Sea-eagle pair had mighty nest in dead tree collapse a few months back. After some delay new building began. Nothing so grandiose as previously, but they're calling it home and may even have laid first egg therein. Time will tell.   

Noisy Miner gets 2019 off with a bang

Flying start to 2019 with first listing and pictures of Noisy Miner species in Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park.

Juvenile bird obligingly posed atop rusty steel pole.

Next day it did the proper thing and showed off in more natural surroundings.

Plenty of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos in the park, but can't get local statuary as background. Fluked this shot near Ross River Bush Gardens yesterday.

Mass takeoff also unintended shot. Birds feeding on ground were spooked by oncoming dog-walker. Arty blurring result of slow shutter speed set for low light beneath trees.

And must introduce the new boss of Payet Tower in the Townsville Common Conservation Park. Super-sized White-lipped Green Treefrog has taken over from possum sacked for always sleeping at her post.

Swampy looks wrong over wetlands

Quick fly-past from Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans) by main lagoon in Tyto yesterday but bird had eyes right - thus wrong - throughout the brief encounter. 

Two other raptors showing out in past few days, pair of immature Collared Sparrowhawk (Accipiter cirrocephalus). Interaction between them hints at sibling relations. Not a common sight locally so unusual to have two appear at same time.

Efforts at capturing dragonfly (Hemicordulia australiae) in flight have all failed. Birds sometimes seem to listen, dragons never!

And still can't train White-lipped Tree Frog (Litoria infrafrenata) for action shots.  
Click pix to enlarge