Limping back into action

Broken toe on mend so took trial walk into Tyto today. Slowly in, slowly out, and slow birding in between. So we must do with some holdovers, starting with White-browed Robin (Poecilodryas superciliosa) pausing during morning 'wash' among condensation-soaked leaves of Bleeding Heart.

Another Tyto robin standing out attractively.

And here's a female Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) with fruiting Leichhardt trees as backdrop. Fittingly, because group of five birds were feeding greedily on fallen fruit at the time in Tyto.

Also feeding, Australasian Darter (Anhinga novehollandiae) a few weeks back in Mungalla Station. Fish looks a bit too big? No problem. Flick of head, gulp, gulp, and fish was gone.

Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) on Orient Station fence seemed unsure of final destination for prey, carrying it along fenceline with several stopovers. Lost track of bird. Perhaps feeding a youngster somewhere. Image also contains evidence of being 'squared up' in processing. See it?

Scores of Latham's Snipe - score one for me

Flooded creek at Mungalla Station looks rather lifeless, but hiding in those dead grasses are Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) aplenty. How many? Counted 11 today, 15 previously. That's without even getting too close. My best guess? At least 30.

But they've not been lining up for pictures. Just luck that helped me catch sight of this one close enough to roadside to sneak up in the Troopy - and not have the bird fly as I stopped and poked camera and lens across the bonnet. One frame only not obscured by vegetation or blurred by the bird's movement.

And more good luck. No picture, but saw one Yellow Wagtail at another part of creek today. Could be newcomer on way to northern migration, More likely one of summer residents still around in spite of 1000mm rain this month.

Shelduck drops in for waterlogged figs

Looking for Radjah Shelduck (Tadorna radjah) around Ingham would mostly be a waste of time. Finding one feeding happily on waterlogged figs fallen into cattle-trodden mud this week was a surprise.

The bird did not appear injured or exhausted yet allowed rare close approach before keeping wary distance by walking slowly off. Pity the overcast light muted the plumage colours.

Hello, sunny Cisticola, farewell wetted Wagtails

Bit of sunshine after about 10 days rain off and on and minor coastal flooding took me to a weir behind the Ingham sugar mill, looking for interesting fly-ins, but finding only flighty sparrows and a Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis).

A charming cisticola, though, and so determined to show off to shining advantage.

But it seems my Yellow Wagtails have been driven away by all the rain. The departure usually comes with the normal deluges in early January. So they stayed an extra two months this year. Image above is one of last and best from Mungalla Station.

Floods bring terns from beach to road

White-winged Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) drops in to mix with smaller Little Tern (Sternula albifrons). Just another morning at the beach? Not quite. The terns are in the middle of a high part of Orient Road, running through Orient Station southeast of Ingham. The local drought's broken with about 600mm of rain in the past 10 days. The first 200mm went straight through the cracks. Much of the past 300mm has backed up and caused minor flooding. It should mean an excellent beef and sugar cane year. And the terns will enjoy a change from the seaside.

A bird's gotta do what a bird's gotta do

A nest-building Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton) tries to pick up every white feather it sees. Because the small soft ones are the ultimate in nesting comfort. And she who must be obeyed is fussy about what she'll accept for her coming clutch.

But it seems the birds lack much sense of timing or scale and can't discriminate between perfect bedding and impossibly large challenges. Eventually they find that some feathers just won't fly.

What's in a colour? Young Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum) comes with bright orange bill and gape. Parents carry plain old dull dark grey. Presumably because no one is going to try to poke food into them while inside a dark cute nest shaped like baby's bootee. Possibly also the colour helps parents locate their young after they've first left the nest.

Why the striking pattern? Young Pallid Cuckoo (Cacomantis pallidus) stands out in full sunlight. Soon it will take on the grey tones of a maturing bird. The juvenile plumage doesn't bear much resemblance to honeyeaters and other species parasitised by Pallids. It is said to perhaps offer dappling camouflage as the bird spills out over the small nests the egg is deposited in. It's the first juvenile Pallid I've seen for years.

Pair of Squatters potter about in hotter spot

Trip into dry country turned up pair of Squatter Pigeons (Geophaps scripta) fussing around in roadside shadows. Limped around (broke toe the other day) after them without getting any clear shots in good light. My first sighting of Squatters for several years.

Lack of easy movement means bit more driving and shooting from the Troopy. Caught this Cattle Egret (Ardea ibis) standing on beefy pal.

With even beefier neighbour standing close,

And shaking off some of the drizzle that began falling a bit later on.

Rain! Just what every bird wants!

Crimson Finch rejoices in today's drizzling answer to farmers' prayers. Imagine the joy if Ingham had got the 600mm it needs.

Apostles answer birder's prayers

Out west in dry country beyond Mt Fox yesterday praying for something to turn up and down from on high come two Apostlebirds (Struthidea cinerea).

The birds appeared intrigued by the Troopy and keen on sharing strange sounds with the driver. No sign of others in the area but nearby were Pale-headed Rosellas, Magpies and Noisy Miners. Earlier, on drive up to Mt Fox the birds included rainforest Wompoo Pigeons and Noisy Pittas. Land of contrasts!

Yellow Wagtails sticking together, sticking around

Three's not often company among Eastern Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla tschutschensis) at Mungalla Station but today a trio of birds stuck together through four shifts to various sites along the road in from the highway. Sorry, no trio picture presented itself. (Above, one I can almost always count on.)
First time I've seen three birds getting on well and sticking relatively close together (10-20 metres apart) as they foraged along the roadside, being forced to move as station traffic travelled the road.

In its usual spot, at the waterhole that marks the eastern end of Palm Creek these dryish days, the only Yellow Wagtail that can be counted almost every day its looked for.

The bird moves from typical dry, patchy pasture favoured by Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae) to wet areas of dead water hyacinth (sprayed from helicopter some weeks ago).

The birds would in a normal Wet season have flown on south by now. It appears likely North Queensland will get only patchy rain this season and the Wagtails may stay until ready to fly off north to Japan and/or Russia about the end ofApril.

Time enough to have one, or even a trio, come close enough for 'the' shot. Meantime, this post offers the recent best.