Can't collar the Azures

And today's mystery visitor to the Azure Kingfisher tunnel site in the rainforest is ... a Collared Sparrowhawk. Just a fast flash through the tallest trees, about five metres below the canopy and gone again - followed by a few shrill honeyeater warning calls (too late, as usual).

Got a bit crowded at times. Large-billed Gerygones at nest, Willie Wagtail working bank, Shining Flycatchers too, Brown-backed, MacLeay's, Brown, and Graceful Honeyeaters here and there, White-browed Robin and Little Shrike-Thrush poking about, Fairy Gerygones and Silvereyes near forest's edge, Spectacled Monarch and higher up an Emerald Dove at speed and Pied Imperial Pigeons passing by.

But no sight or sound of Azures. Will quit the area for a week and try again next month. (Gently measured tunnel with a soft branch: 75cm straight in!

Quick Tyto circuit chanced upon Crimson Finches continuing to line their tree-trunk nest with white feathers. Thought you might like another burst of colour (bit noisy - still playing with high ISO settings).

Crimson Finch feathers nest

A wow at mention of Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton) led me to seek them out today. With predictable results. Distant poor pictures of finches bathing, feeding, flying, perching, preening. Luckily, the male bird of the pair using a paperbark hole ouside the Tyto hide was fetching feathers to line the nest.

Females sometimes carry feathers but I'm not sure males accept any help from them. Certainly the female didn't take any part in today's hour of to-ing and fro-ing. Heavy morning showers probably limited the selection of suitable small, dry and white feathers. So trips to the nest were fewer than I've observed at other times. Perhaps the work will be continuing tomorrow.

Here's two versions of a better picture taken from my rusty mobile 4WD hide. Surprising just how close one can drive up to birds and other wildlife (but not often practicable).

Accounting for the tail

Latham's Snipe (Gallinado hardwickii) pictured at high noon today standing quietly at the edge of a treatment pond. Sorry about the harsh light. Don't have flash capable of infill.

Seen, say, in Darwin the bird might be a Pin-tailed Snipe (G. stenura) or Swinhoe's Snipe (G. megala). How to tell the difference? Easy. Catch the bird. Carefully count the tail feathers. Got 18 or fewer? It's Latham's. Got 20+? Pin-tailed. Got 24+? Swinhoe's.

See? Dead easy. Do you know, there are some people who say bird ID can be difficult!