Busy bedlam without boss at Bowerville

Busy, busy, busy in Bowerville lately. Seems the apprentices have been let loose on a few local structures. But the boss is missing. Jobs get started at one end of the main building. Some trainees work at one entrance. Others at the other.  One pops up atop the walls. All squabble. All go off huffily. One hops back. Two. Three. Four. Busy, busy, busy Great Bowerbirds.

Some mornings hold extra magic

Some mornings come full of extra magic. Today started with Little Bronze Cuckoo snatching Tussock Moth caterpillar from foliage above the road.

Soon after, what's on the road but another Tussock caterpillar, probably same species, but with tan coloured tussocks on its back rather than the white of the cuckoo's victim.

A few paces down the road, the Eastern Ospreys were seen changing places on the nest where the female mostly has been sitting for about three weeks. I think she's pictured returning to the nest later in the morning. Hard to tell, since the pair are almost identically plumaged.

Further walking up the road brought wayward frog into view. Seemed content to be rescued from near certain death as roadkill and sat sedately in safer surroundings for photographs. Efforts to ID species brought up hundreds of pink-spotted items of kitsch online, but nothing that looked anything like above. An expert has been consulted. Juvenile Cane Toad. See my pink blushes?

To top things off, Brown Snake - after crossing near same stretch of road - stuck around for closeups. Asking for it to make a kill for the camera was possibly pushing the morning's magic a bit too far.

Missing the target has its compensations

Chasing Little Kingfisher up and down Townsville's Mundy Creek, near my unit in Rowes Bay, lately  - for no more reward than glimpses of blue and white blur streaking off in the distance. But there have been some bonus sightings, such as Little Pied Cormorant, above.

Spangled Drongo spangled nicely in the morning light today.

Male Red-backed Fair-wren popped up from the long grass nearby.

Magpie paused briefly from its foraging alongside upper reaches of the creek.

And elsewhere this morn, Bush Stone Curlew family stayed still just long enough for family portrait.

Hacking Sea-eagle shows off healthy tongue

Probably not a smoker, so White-bellied Sea-eagle's hacking cough from dead bough on nest tree in Townsville Common may have come from something bony only a big scavenger would eat.

Diet must be healthy enough, given colour of long tongue.

Coughing at an end, almost time to head off and see what's on morning menu.

Also busy hunting overhead these days, adult Brahminy Kite and immature offspring.

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.   

Flights and frights of kites see off Sea-eagle

Immature White-bellied Sea-eagle stirred more spirited response than bargained for after swooping mixed mob of egrets and ibises on part-flooded airport grassland in Townsville today. Suddenly found itself under attack from first five Whistling Kites, then pair of Black Kites.

Minutes of defending itself often while flying upsidedown didn't hold much appeal and the much bigger bird sideslipped away to more peaceful air when the kites flew off, mission accomplished.

Elsewhere today, male Magpie Lark in Pallarenda Cons. Park hopped up on rail, revealing loss of left foot. Bird appeared to be coping well - as they often seem to under such disadvantage.

Also disadvantaged, earlier in the week, Squatter Pigeon found itself on Lake Ross dam side wall rocks with nowhere suitable to squat in hiding. After some uncertainty it chose to fly off.

In somewhat similar circumstance but very different habitat, Barking Owl in Town Common Cons. Park chose after taking early fright not to take flight.

After many a suspicious stare and glare the bird accepted my presence close by - and some minor harassment from smaller birds. It even settled to unconcerned preening as I said my thanks and goodbyes.

Wizard lizard gizzard: Burton's curtains for Keelback

Burton's Snake Lizard found across track yesterday in Townsville Common Park carried big surprise.

The wizard lizard coughed up multifolded Keelback snake longer than its digestive track.

Lizard loses big meal. Keelback loses everything. Fly attends feast.

Egret leaps to it in fishing demo

Tell me, Egret, what's your secret for catching fish?

'Oh, just dash and splash and splosh - and gosh, that's it!'

Male Jacanas just carry on parenting capers

Carry four youngsters under your arms? No problem, if you're a male Comb-crested Jacana. Spotted bulky bird on lagoon in Palmetum Botanical Gardens, Townsville, with too many legs, but only two on water plants.

Seconds later four young Jacanas were free to forage with father (females free of parenthood).

Make all four vanish in a flash? No, problem. Male uttered shrill orders and the quartet disappeared into debris beneath him (above) on edge of lagoon. My short, very careful search found not one bird.

But it caused male to flop 'broken' wings and splosh invitingly about - an easy meal for a predator. Soon after, perceived danger passed, male sounded the all clear, picked his 'invisible' four up, and carried them to other side of lagoon.  

Life in the sticks stacks up for birds

Sticks. Some birds need stacks of them. Whistling Kite returns towards nest after seeing off cheeky young Brahminy Kite that ventured too close. But on the way home, why not stop off for a bit of extra for the relatively modest nest high in eucalyptus?

Young White-bellied Sea-eagle not so long ago stood upon stack of sticks vastly outweighing the kite's. Parent birds lately heard honking from their massive creation in Townsville Town Common Park. Be no surprise soon to see them carrying fresh stocks of sticks to the nest.

Then there's those that stick to standing stock still on sticks. Nankeen Night Heron, in early morning light, for example. Or Little Pied Cormorant.

Pheasant Coucal not sticking totally to the theme, half on, half off.

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike goes one better, all on and all off.

Little Friarbird, meanwhile, sticks to daily preening routine, stock-in-trade for all birds whether from the sticks or the heights.