Tag Archives: Pale-vented Bush Hen

At last the waters recede

Posted on 24 November, 2023 by | Leave a comment

After such regular rainfall through the ‘winter’ months I thought our main mudflats were, once again, to remain an underwater mystery. Luckily ‘the tap’ was turned off for a few weeks as the heat increased and much to the delight of several bird species, in addition to the resident humans, the mud was revealed in all it’s glory with lots of yummy insects.

At first glance it may appear a somewhat drab outlook, however there is a veritable feast awaiting avid foragers such as the Buff-banded Rail in the photo above. It shared the space quite amicably with a couple of Pale-vented Bush-hens and a Jacana which, although often seen on the water lilies, couldn’t resist the abundant caterpillars on the mudflat.

A visiting Oriental Cuckoo joined in the feast and occasionally a White-browed Crake would sneak out from the cover of the sedge to feed quite manically in the shallows.

It is lovely to have the opportunity to actually see some of the birds that reside here. When the water levels are high we often hear the calls but it is fun to watch the interactions between the species feeding together. The White-browed Crake, which does tend to be a timid species, runs for cover as soon as the Jacana approaches.

Our camera doesn’t really cope with the distance but it was such fun to see the Shining Flycatcher share the perch with the Azure Kingfishers for a few minutes.

I started uploading these photos a few days ago and since then we’ve had more than 80mm of steady rain which is a wonderful soaking and has cheered up the vegetation that was starting to look a bit thirsty. The downside is that the retrieval of the weeds that I left on the edge of the mud are no longer ‘on the edge’. Looks like it is going to be another very muddy experience!

Leave a comment

Posted in Bird Observations, Daintree wetlands, Pond Life, Restoration Rewards

Tagged , , , ,

Feeding Frenzy

Posted on 28 December, 2016 by | 1 comment

Rainfall is imminent in the next few days;   “90% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms with areas of rain” but by Jan 2nd the forecast is just “Rain. Possible storm”.   It seems like water levels in the wetlands are about to rise but while there are still lots of muddy edges and shallow ponds full of fish and crustaceans there are busy birds with full bellies.

1-dsc_0001

Great Egret trying to get a firm grip on a River Prawn.  Macrobrachium sp.

2-dsc_0002

Now in a firm hold but still quite a challenge to swallow

1-azure-kingfisher-with-fish-13-12-2016-7-02-50-am

Azure Kingfisher with one of many fish caught in a morning session.

1-azure-kingfisher-with-fish

Azure Kingfisher often flies to this horizontal perch as it’s convenient to use for bashing  prey prior to consumption.

Pale-vented Bushhen

Pale-vented Bush Hen – while we did see it catch fish occasionally it was mainly hunting on or around the vegetation.  This is possibly a dragonfly nymph.

Birds all have their own particular hunting methods and it is quite amusing to watch a Great Egret with its ‘wait quietly and pounce’ method becoming annoyed at a Little Egret which tends to be rather hyperactive, stirring the water up with its feet to see what is disturbed.  This Little Egret is in breeding colours and plumage, gloriously white even though it is spending its days in the muddy shallows.

1-little-egret-swallowing-fish

Little Egret in the process of swallowing a fish.

1 Comment

Posted in Bird Observations, Pond Life

Tagged , , , ,

Glorious Mud

Posted on 9 December, 2016 by | Leave a comment

I have always found myself attracted to water;  whether a vast expanse of sea or a tranquil lake, a cool pool on a hot day, a winding tree-lined river or a waterfall.  In my very early days, like most children, my joy was mostly centred around the splashing qualities of water.  These days  I usually have a reason for getting wet and muddy!  Pond maintenance (a bit of weeding) is not really a chore to me as there are so many wonderful distractions, and it is just such a good feeling to be hanging around the ponds.

The cyclical nature of wetlands is a learning process – Allen and I still find the onset of heavy rain and the resulting water flow into the ponds as exciting as always.  After months of dry weather it is wonderful to see fresh water flowing over the spillways however there is really so much more to observe when we have mud!

Allen has been spending quite a bit of time with his camera in the bird hide recently;  his patience and his quiet observation has resulted in some lovely photos.

1-dsc_0184

Snipe preening – either Latham’s or Swinhoe’s.

Until a definitive photo of the tail feathers being fanned can be obtained we can’t be absolutely sure about this bird’s identification but it is just lovely seeing them so busy feeding.

Snipe

Snipe feeding together – these two are thought to be Swinhoe’s

Pale-vented Bush-hen

Pale-vented Bush Hen – while these birds are resident on the property we mostly only get a glimpse as they dash into the next bit of cover.  Their voices however, can be heard loud and clear – a loud and raucous call for a small bird with such a neat appearance.

Female Black Bittern

Black Bittern – standing on the edge of ‘Crake Island’

Another bird that we frequently hear calling at this time of the year but mostly only see once we have disturbed it feeding is the Black Bittern.   There have been many calls recently and we expect there may be more than one nest to be found along Barratt Creek.

Great-billed Heron

Great-billed Heron

Great-billed Heron

I had to include a couple more photos of the Great-billed Heron as I get such a thrill seeing these magnificent birds and these photos are better than some of my earlier attempts.  We have more than one of these Herons regularly feeding in our wetlands and they don’t seem to be quite as nervous as they used to be although definitely still considered ‘shy’.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bird Observations

Tagged , , , ,