Why is Brown Snake black and white?

Puzzling snake seen after failing in attempted cannibalism, Townsville Town Common Conservation Park, this week.

Identified for me as probable subadult Brown Snake. Sighting comes not long after my first look at a black and white Common Tree Snake (formerly Green Tree Snake). Nothing simply black and white about snake colours!

Trust him not, for here is an upstart ... Australian Raven

"Yes, trust them not, for there is an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that, with his Tygers heart wrapt in a Players hide, supposes he is as well able to bumbast out a blanke verse as the best of you; and being an absolute Johannes Factotum, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrie." - Uni-educated Greene whining about the Bard's blitz of the boards. Greene wined and bawded too much, died penniless and diseased. Will died at home feted by friends and fated to become seen as the greatest. 

Brown frown comes too close to licking chicken legs

Tried standing still as Brown Snake tracked through samphire in Townsville Town Common yesterday but stepped back as it came within a metre and - still unaware of me as potential threat - turned towards my feet. Yes, I know, some will shudder, and others say 'stupid'. But advantage of surprise was totally with me and danger all in the mind. And the final picture's worth it.

Last straw too much for Double-barred Finch

Townsville Common Cons. Pk, track to Jacana hide, today. Flew off a second later with lighter load.

Chiming and charming - Butcherbird esPied

Townsville Common Conservation Park, bund wall, Thursday morning. Probably only Butcherbird in the park and one of two that popped up unexpectly in adjacent Cape Pallarenda Cons. Pk last month.
First of possible series - "Birds in one line'.

Nutting out questions about mannikins

What's in a name? Nutmeg Mannikin (Lonchura punctulata)? Or Scaly-breasted Munia? Or Spice Finch? Still Nutmegs for most these days. But Munias may come out on top. An interesting question about finches, mannikins and munias in the Townsville area has been their fate in the wake of Cyclone Oma's aftermath 12-day, two-metre deluge flooding the region. My numbers have been roughly 60-70 percent down since March, though flocks of juvenile mannikins are now showing up. But adult numbers remain down. Not sure why. Working on it.

Ironically, a cemetery nearby is part of  home base for a flock of mostly adult Zebra Finches. A happy conjunction of life and death.

Meanwhile, counter to the trend with small seed-eaters (granivores), Peaceful Doves are everywhere locally in their usual abundance. Perhaps a combination of size and more generalist diet meant they avoided the likely fate of many adult finches during and right after the deluge.
 

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.