Kite flies for easy pickings

With Tyto fish deaths comes the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus). First downpours of this season's Wet last week brought usual rush of fish large and small into newly flooded  areas. 

Not all made it safely back (perhaps, like salmon, they're not destined to). Dead fish dropped on footbridge - possibly one too many for lone Brahminy - previously thrived by 'hoovering' lagoons, often in large surface schools. ID to come. 
Click pix to enlarge

Emerging thick and fast

Yesterday afternoon, helpless and getting a bit wet in Tyto drizzle.

This morning, warmer, 50 metres from 'nest'.

Bush Thick-knees (Burhinus grallarius) disappearing down south, but thriving in parts of North Queensland. No foxes here!
Click pix to enlarge

Orioles offer rousing sounds

Tyto's close to southern edge of range for Yellow Oriole (Oriolus flavocinctus) and its rousing, ringing 'cholonk, cholonk' and raspy sneer.

Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) extends over huge eastern and northern range and offers gentler 'olly, olly o', musical muttering and softer sneer.


Both species busy in the wetlands these days, though often heard rather than seen clearly. 
Click pix to enlarge

More Crakes out and about

More White-browed Crakes (Amaurornis cinerea) foraging at edge of scleria on floating weed as evaporation sucks water from main lagoon.

Shadowy reflection today at Tyto.

Closer look at same bird.

Even closer in late morning recently.   
Click pix to enlarge

Brolgas kick up their heels

Brolgas (Grus rubicunda) love to kick up their heels.

Caught this pair making bit of a splash near Ingham the other day.

Pity, best action came in solo show.

Back together at the end. 
Click pix to enlarge

More reflecting on Latham's Snipe

Overcast mornings no help in trying for 'the' shot of Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii).

But got a reflection.

And a reflective look.   
Click pix to enlarge

Tern splashes into action

Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) in Tyto today didn't catch many fish.

Though it made quite a splash.

The only near-sharp pictures came with smallest catch of the day.

But bigger prey keeps us all going back another day.

Click pix to enlarge

Osprey captures attention

Eastern Ospreys (Pandion cristatus) seldom look twice at Tyto lagoons.

But this bird made several passes over the water today after coming up empty-taloned with initial plunge. Improved my capture - did nothing for bird's appetite.
Click pix to enlarge

Purple Swamphen also Pukeko dekko

 Plenty of Purple Swamphens (Porphyrio porphyrio) in many parts of Australia. And - as Pukeko - in New Zealand. But there's just been this one in Tyto for months. Doesn't show itself every day, and rarely so close to the hide (above).

Elsewhere, found this bird daintily stripping seeds from roadside grasses close to a pair of small lagoons surrounded by sugar cane. Sorry about the tight full frame image: bird wouldn't move far enough away from the car!
Click pix to enlarge    

Crimson Finches beat the ants

Male Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton) by nest hole in trunk of paperbark outside the Tyto hide on Saturday. Seems the ants that took over the hole have given it up, as hoped. No evidence of birds actually attacking the ants.

Perhaps, though, just to be on safe side, Crimsons are building another nest in a fork a little above the hole but obscured from the hide.

Male was doing some weekend posing alongside the tree, amid blustery breezes and plenty of stiff showers. (More rain yesterday and even heavier falls overnight.)   
Click pix to enlarge   

La Nina falls keep species down

September didn't see any Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (Calidris acuminata) in Tyto. (Above bird seen this week, with Common Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit, on tidal lagoon beside my favourite country road).


It seems with La Nina's hold deepening, more rain falling and Tyto Wetlands water levels at capacity there'll be no muddy shallows to attract migratory waders before the Wet proper sets in. Species count for September, 113, 10 down on 2009.

So, off west to see nesting Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus), peering distantly through the rainforest gloom, near the Wallaman Falls road. Impossible to gain clear view of bird. Will try again in a week or so. 
Click pix to enlarge  

Slough puts snake at risk

Came upon this Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) coiled on track in short grass yesterday.

Too open and hazardous a spot for a species usually extremely alert and sharp-eyed.

Though no sign elsewhere about body, slough seems to have begun at the eyes.

Snake senses me though it cannot see well, if at all. A gentle push with small stick encouraged it into safer cover.  

Cormorants hunt as pack, eat alone

About 20 Little Black Cormorants (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) dominate the fishing in  Tyto's new lagoons these days. 

Birds hunt in a pack, often diving and resurfacing in near unison.

But togetherness stops at sharing the spoils. Taking the catch ashore is best strategy.

Get the fish lined up head-first for the swallow.

In it goes, ready for the final gulp. Then, quickly back to rejoin the pack. 

Wren gets ready for the day

Getting spruced up for the day, Red-backed Fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus) finds a safe spot deep within a tangle of twiggy branches.

All done, time to find something to eat ...

Oops: Did I post Comb-crested Jacana eggs sunk? Correction: hatched. Long-distance shot from yesterday shows four very young birds and parent. No sign of the youngsters for two days? Probably sheltered within the scleria straight after hatching.

Also good news at Shining Flycatcher nest. Female and male in evidence yesterday and today. Can't risk splashing out to nest (two metres above knee-deep water) to check for eggs for fear of scaring birds away. So, more wait and see.