Bush-hen nothing to crow about

Cackling aplenty in Tyto lately, but only image of Pale-vented Bush-hen (Amaurornis moluccana) nothing to crow about. Early onset of Wet hasn't helped, with cover everywhere thicker than usual.

Rains also mean less action overhead. Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) showed up this week, turned up its nose at fish floating belly-up (too large, probably) and left with tongue hanging out.
Click pix to enlarge

Taking a Tern at the Common

Escaped Ingham's grey drizzle at a lightly clouded Townsville Common today. Some shallows alive with birds. Plenty, at a distance, from the elevated hide. This young Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) one of few flying close to camera.

Later shot from water's edge - while waiting, in vain, for a Swamp Harrier to fly my way - one among hundreds of Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata).


Overall, only 55 bird species seen but stiff wind didn't help. Bonus: seven snakes, including a possible strike by a small Brown or Taipan on an even smaller Black Whipsnake.

One good turn etc ... so here's a Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) at Tyto, held over from few days ago.
Click pix to enlarge

Black Bittern out and upstanding

Upstanding start to the day! Cycle past a creek beside the highway and spot a strangely prominent figure rising from some flooded grass. Immature Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) revealing its inexperience, choosing wrong place to adopt the stiffly upright posture of the species when caught unawares.

Bird stayed motionless as I braked on bridge, propped bike against guardrail, doffed helmet, fumbled camera into operation and snatched first few pictures. Bird twisted right and then turned left as I tried for steadier position. More pictures. Luck ran out when I tried to add 1.4x converter. Bird stalked slowly into long grass and didn't reappear.

No way of being sure, but this youngster probably came from a nest over water in rainforest just southwest of Tyto. The parent birds would be the pair often seen in the wetlands once the rains come. As the ground dries out they retreat into the forest and its deep, shaded pools.

Here's another youngster prominently out in the open today. This juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) swept briefly directly over the top of me (picture is full frame deep) near the Tyto hide. The birds get progressively lighter year by year as they go from juvenile, to immature, to subadult, and finally gain the full white and grey of maturity.

And yet another young bird over the lagoon today. Juvenile Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) did a quick circuit without seeing anything that took its fancy and headed off towards the coast. 

Interestingly, many of the smaller and medium sized species were less apparent today than two and three days back. Perhaps the rush to feed after the flooding rains has abated. It seems likely too that insect numbers were much reduced by birds desperate to feed in midweek after the terrible weather cleared, though yesterday/overnight was the first 24-hour cycle without heavy rain for about 36 days.