Beach & Bush 3 (June)

This third and final June post focuses on a walk out the north wall at Ballina (that's the "beach" part) and finally a visit to my brother's Meerschuam Vale farmlet (that the "bush" part). No new sightings this time, but some wonderful ones and very willing poseurs and excellent portraits ...

I begin with a pied butcherbird peeking around a trunk. While in shadow, the light offers a splendid profile for that hook on the beak.

Next is the beautiful, sleek and graceful Australasian gannet in full glide. A future aim is get one in full dive - now that is a sight to behold.

The great egret (extra long neck relative ot the body) is a regular stalker of these reed beds during lower tides and is being none too stealthy parting the reeds on this hunt.

The next two photos feature a couple of common smaller birds on this walk. First is the brown honeyeater - nearly always "spotted" by following the melodious tunes of its call. Second the effervescent willywagtail, this time perched on the guide wire just having a curious peek out the corner of its eye.

Next up are some more wading birds on the forage. First, the white ibis poking about under the reeds in the mud. Then two photos highlighting a pair of white-faced herons with breeding plummage. Each offers the pair in unusual positions as they explore the crevices around boulders near the water edge.

Next offering is a series of portraits from some friendly and gorgeous superb fairy wrens. As always with these special birds the environment offers a wonderful sense of just how tiny they are. This day, they allowed me special close access, so the grip on their various perches shows their toes in full action too. Such a series of images are a special treat for me 😊

The sacred kingfisher has been elusive on recent walks so it was encouraging to see this one in full sunshine showing off that wonderful blue plummage as it surveys the kingdom from the throne!

Here is another follow-up of one of the young masked lapwings just to show you even more definition as it continues to forage successfully.

I decided during my review to include this shot of the cloud formations on this afternoon - it struck me as a really good example of the type of day it just might be really great to have that ability to fly & soar above our wonderful world 😋.

And now for three photo portraits of the common (love their soft "cooing") and under-rated spotted turtle dove. Their palette is simple and complex in both colour and pattern - subtle, sharp and yet soft. The enigma that is birds. You be your own judge though.

Next two photos are of the ubiquitous magpie lark with the well known "pee-wee" call we are all so familiar with. Always willing to approach, so often photogenic. Those eyes are eerily glasslike at times, but clearly very sharp.

Now for the "bush" part, a special treat sighting this pair of tawny frogmouths roosting up in a fork of an old avocado tree. Several alternate views offered, some with eyes more open than others, and especially notice those John Howard (or Robert Menzies if you prefer) eyebrows most prominent in first and last photos 😠

And finally a grey fantail reposing on a fine shady branch between sweeps seeking flying insects and twittering in flight (real twittering!!).