Danger lurks … above and below

A brief, yet interesting encounter late yesterday afternoon.

I was watching a Black Kite hunting over a patch of recently burnt ground near Picnic Point. The lone bird was soon joined by another three, as well as a single Whistling Kite.

As I watched on I started to hear some low ‘peeping’ sounds from a couple of seperate patches of rank grassland nearby … Brown Quail! One of the coveys burst skyward and landed near to where the others were calling.

This spot is a favourite for the species and I’ve seen and heard them regularly there over the years. As I sat tight a few of the quail scuttled across the path some fifteen metres away, clearly concerned about the circling kites. A Flame Robin landed just in front of where I sat … it too gazed skywards nervously.

Native raptors, quail and robins are all part of a dynamic, functioning ecosystem. Not so welcome are   cats; stray and feral, such as the one I spotted at Cotswold at the weekend.

Black Kite hunting, Picnic Point, Cairn Curran Reservoir, 29th May 2023

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Brown Quail

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Flame Robin

Feral cat near Cotswold, 27th May 2023

Duck for cover

The late afternoon idyll was suddenly disturbed.

Pacific Black Ducks (feeding in the nearby stubble), along with some Grey Teal, Galahs and ravens – perhaps 200 birds in total, scattered wildly in all directions. The alarm calls of White-plumed Honeyeaters confirmed the arrival of a raptor.

The Peregrine Falcon, a young bird, cruised through with intent … circling above me a couple of times as it eyed a possible target. While I didn’t observe a serious pursuit, or a kill, the falcon was certainly weighing up its options.

In the middle distance a flock of corellas had detected the hunter … you can just make out its blurry silhouette in the foreground.

An enduring memory from my childhood is that of a Peregrine plunging through a small flock of Long-billed Corellas, striking one of the party and scattering feathers in all directions. The falcon then casually circled back to catch its dying and earthbound victim.

Pacific Black Ducks, Picnic Point on Cairn Curran, 24th May 2023

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Corella flock … alert to the presence of a feared predator … note the blur

Peregrine Falcon in hunting mode

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Dull days brightened at Cairn Curran

With winter approaching, at what feels like a rapid rate, sunshine has been in short supply recently.

The dulls days have been brightened by a nice assortment of waterbirds. I expect some interesting observations over winter – watch out for Freckled Duck, Glossy Ibis, Blue-billed Duck and a bunch of other species.

Rain across the Murray-Darling Basin has triggered a significant waterbird breeding event and in the usual order of things birds will disperse widely as the landscape dries out further north.

Great Egret, Picnic Point @ Cairn Curran, 4th May 2023

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White-necked Heron with its catch (English Perch)

Pied Cormorant (left) and Little Pied Cormorant

Australasian Darters, Australian Pelican and Masked Lapwings

Autumn tones

Galahs are amongst the most striking of Australian birds, their pink and grey tones accentuated at this time of year as the autumn landscape fades to brown and gold.

The Black Kite is not really black at all, a subtle combination of different shades of brown, and of course that mustard-yellow cere.

Galahs, Joyce’s Creek, 9th March 2023

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Black Kite

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Brown Falcon

Spotto challenge

Pursuing Brown Quail again as they scuttle through the Kangaroo Grass and Phalaris at Joyce’s Creek. How many quail can you spot in this covey?

Kangaroo Grass, Joyce’s Creek, 28th February 2023

Brown Quail

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How many quail?

Look again …

And the answer is:

• The first image – 8 … you can just see the bill of one of the quail at top right
• The second image – 9 … two blurry birds in the foreground

Family fun

Locally we have two species of ‘true’ quail, the Stubble Quail and the Brown Quail.

Both species are shy, cryptic and easily disturbed. The typical observation is of a sudden whirring sound and a projectile-like shape moving away from you at lightning speed!

In recent weeks I’ve seen quite a few Stubble Quail and as their name suggests they have a liking for cropland, however they are most abundant in rough treeless country, especially native grasslands which are now sadly diminished. Brown Quail are found in the same habitats, especially wetter areas and will also venture into open woodlands and shrublands. Their calls are distinctive and different – Stubble Quail utter a repetitive cheeping sound described as tutchewup, while Brown Quail make a penetrating two-note whistle, with the second note high-pitched and mournful.

From long experience the best way to see either species is to take note of where you have flushed birds and then simply sit and wait. Brown Quail especially, often forage in the open, along tracks and grassy verges and will tolerate a patient observer.

The sequence of images below is of a covey of about ten birds, almost all juveniles, that I found at a favourite ‘quail spot’ last weekend at Joyce’s Creek. A wary adult appeared first, followed some minutes later by an excitable group of youngsters that commenced to dust bathe in a roadside pothole. Dust bathing is a common behaviour in many birds, performed to maintain healthy feathers and skin through removal of parasites.

Brown Quail (adult at front), Joyce’s Creek, 27th January 2023

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Juvenile Brown Quail dustbathing

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Full to the brim

Another deluge has taken Cairn Curran Reservoir to capacity … and more.

A visit this afternoon revealed the return of Australian Reed-Warblers. At least two individuals were calling from amongst the reeds near the highway bridge at Joyce’s Creek, popping up briefly to view the intruder.

Nearby, a pair of Willie Wagtails were working on their first nest of the season, the foundations of grass and cobwebs newly laid on a horizontal branch of a sapling River Red Gum.

A little further along two Little Black Cormorants were perched above the just above the rising water.

Australian Reed-Warbler, Joyce’s Creek, 17th September 2022

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Little Black Cormorant

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The start of a creation

The creator

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En masse

Fairy Martins have been absent since the autumn, but have arrived en masse in the last week or so.

Large numbers were spotted at Cairn Curran last weekend, hawking insects over the water around the shoreline, refuelling after their migratory exertions. A few Welcome Swallows joined the feast.

Fairy Martins are north-south migrants, heading to warmer climes during winter. As far as I’m aware their pathways and destinations remain a mystery, although there is some movement as far as New Guinea and Indonesia. In northern Australia (Townsville) observations peak during the July-August period, however the reporting rate is fairly steady year-round. Further south (Brisbane) the peak is observed during spring, with smaller numbers during autumn-winter. In central Victoria the story is similar, but observations are very few during the cooler months.

These dainty aerialists will soon be constructing and refurbishing nests – those wonderful, bottle-shaped adobe creations that can be found in roadside culverts, under building eaves and in large eucalypt hollows.

Fairy Martins and Welcome Swallows over the water at Cairn Curran, 2nd September 2022

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Fairy Martin in flight

We\lcome Swallow in flight

Shoreline

A few interesting observations from earlier this week at Picnic Point.

A family of Australian Ravens, two adults and an immature, feeding on the carcass of a European Carp.

A family of Great-crested Grebes, parents and two immature birds. My hunch is that these birds have bred further south, perhaps at Hepburn Lagoon, and then travelled to Cairn Curran.

A juvenile Swamp Harrier, heading south with purpose. Again, I very much doubt that this is the result of a local breeding event. Tasmania is a stronghold for this species, with birds dispersing to the mainland in winter, while mainland birds tend to head north. Key breeding sites are wetlands along the Murray River and along the Victorian coast. They occasionally breed locally, but only in wet years.

Upon arrival an adult White-bellied Sea-Eagle cruised overhead … as I fumbled with the camera!

Australian Raven (adult) , scavenging on the shoreline at Cairn Curran, 23rd May 2022

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Immature Australian Raven

Great Crested Grebes (immatures)

Great-crested Grebe – adult and immature

Swamp Harrier (juvenile)

White-faced Heron

The consumate ‘angler’

Great Egrets have been observed on most of my visits to Cairn Curran in recent months.

It is typical for this species to be wary of a close approach, but not on this occasion.

I was allowed within thirty metres and the reason soon became obvious – the egret was fixated on a fish!

A successful egret fishing encounter is spectacular, this event was no exception. I’m unsure on the identity of the fish, European Carp are dominant in the storage, but to me this one looks more like a small Redfin (English Perch) … perhaps a reader can help?

Great Egret fishing, Cairn Curran Reservoir, 22nd May 2022

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… and away!