Back-breaker bags Brown-backer

Back-breaking crawl got me close to Brown-backed Honeyeater before it twigged my presence in Town Common Cons. Pk, Townsville, today. Time I found technique with fewer twinges.

Much easier on the spine catching Nankeen Night-Heron doing daytime flyover this morning.

Even simpler, walk up close and talk to obliging Pelican.

And yesterday at Pallarenda stood comfortably under tree and clicked away after coming upon Osprey ripping into fresh catch. John Dory, I'm told.

   

Takes a Sheila to show Aussie birders Satin rarity

Oooh, look! What's that shiny black and white bird? It's so smooth and black on back and head. Could it be a rarely seen Satin Flycatcher in the Common today. Yes, it could. And it took a visitor from Wiltshire way, Sheila Ashley, to see it first. Proving that one good turn deserves another, she and husband Paul were being shown around by Len and Chris Ezzy. I tagged along. Lucky all of us.

Not so much luck involved in seeing a few other species commonly seen lately. Rose-crowned Fruitdove seems content to stay forever close to favourite feed trees near Freshwater hide.

Which is close to where immature Australian Raven was today tucking into fish, without parents or sibling trying to cadge a bite.

Not so many Sharp-tailed Sandpipers at Pandanus viewing area today, but caught some showing off in recent times.

Male Barking Owl certainly not one to show off, but every now and then he glowers for the camera.

More glow than glower from Nankeen Night Heron, missing today from Melaleuca hideout but almost whitewashed me nearby just the other day.

Much noisier and more easily spotted, adult Dollarbird one of four calling and shifting position often this morning near Payet Tower.

But no sign today of immature Spectacled Monarch, above with, I think, Crane Fly.

Crimson Finches seldom fail to turn up, nor did they today.

And one of highlights for Sheila and Paul, apart from the Satin of course, male Great Bowerbird busy, busy, busy about his bower. Happy too, crest-risen, as opposed to crestfallen.

What a pity we're too far northeast for Satin Bowerbird and Satin Flycatcher in one day. That'd just be greedy though, eh?

Heron in shabby yabby grabby

Shabby image in Tyto yesterday as immature Nankeen Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) nabs a yabby: first live - for 10 seconds – cray prey I’ve come across.

Young bird active lately and relatively approachable. Unlike the Black Bitterns, which have been haunting same hunting grounds, but much more warily.

Click pix to enlarge  

Day out for Night-Heron

There's a Nankeen Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) breeding hotspot just 10kms away at Cattle Creek, but few show out in Tyto.

Bird above revealed itself today as I watched Royal Spoonbills, Intermediate and Great Egrets and a White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) feasting on life in a fast-drying creek pool.

Also active in Tyto lately, Pacific Heron (Ardea pacifica).
Click pix to enlarge

Pretty Pitta prompts pity parade

Finding birds is one thing, getting good images another. Few hours in Boardwater State Forest Park, west of Ingham, finally brought close views of Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor). But most obscured, or facing away - or flash recharge too slow. Trying again soon.

Flushed this immature Nankeen Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) to rain tree at some treatment ponds. Short pursuit to paperbarks ended with bird quitting the scene. Not likely to see bird in same spot again.

Unlike White-browed Crake (Amaurornis cinerea), near Tyto hide yesterday. Birds regularly move out on to water lily leaves. Scleria, sedge and grasses often intrude but there's always tomorrow.

Plenty of Varied Trillers (Lalage leucomela) in Tyto. Not so often almost on the ground picking up nest material. Pity then bird proved sharper than lens.

To end, caught this Northern Fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris) with mouth full recently. Sadly, the prey stayed in the way. 
Click pix to enlarge      

Fancy flight and flight of fancy

Fancy flights and a failed flight of fancy stock the pre-Xmas blog stocking. First up, Green Pygmy Geese (Nettapus pulchellus) take off - trailing a few drops of water - across a scleria backdrop at the main lagoon yesterday.

Near perfect group of Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata) flukily fills the frame. Lucky, uncropped shot offers range of wing variation and positioning. Not something to plan for. Unlike shot below of MG cruising over the lagoon.

Hard to plan for in-flight shot of immature Nankeen Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus). Just the one bird, probably, and no set routine or favourite roost. But something spooked this bird the other morning and in its flap it scarcely noticed me watching an Oriental Cuckoo nearby (yes, the one that I missed in flight).

And here's a Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea) passing beneath me at the Tyto lookout. Plenty of to-and-fro always with the species, but usually too far off.

Finally, today's picture that's just plain off. You can possibly see the plan, but nothing quite panned out. Didn't persist because parent Bush Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius) was getting a bit toey. Season's grittings ...
  

Bit of patter before a Pitta pity

Frustratingly close to catching up with two elusive species in the rainforest behind Ingham Airstrip today. Well, did catch them, but lacked any 'up', as in up close. So, will open with better couple of birds on sticks. First, male Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) lines up in the morning sunshine.

Second, Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis) intent on higher issues.

And the first of today's distant efforts. Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor) in forest considerably darker than it appears. Pittas commonly pitter-patter along amid leaf litter but are more often heard than seen. In part because they spend a lot of time up in trees and birders spend a lot of time looking for them on the ground. Ventriloquial birds, that's what they are.

Second distant shot, immature Nankeen Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus), announced its arrival with a strangled 'grawwwk'. It then flew low to forest creek bank, peered in, and dived out of sight! I didn't see it emerge. Don't know if it was splash-showering or hunting, perhaps for freshwater mussels (not equipped for chasing fish underwater). Next sighting, image above, taken from 40 metres away. Tried stalking close. Bird off. Just one of those mornings...