A day of birding success

A local resident has kindly given me a few tips about the location of interesting birds.  One of these was a nesting Wompoo Fruit-Dove at the Curtain Fig Tree.  After I'd been once and failed she amplified her comments.  On the next occasion I failed to see the bird but clearly heard it: I blamed the visual disaster on it being too dark.

So on 31 July I tried again, beginning on the dog walk.  Failed to see or even hear the bird.  Later in the morning I had another go (what is this thing called OCD?).  I found the bird: I can't remember quite how, but I had been looking up in the trees off to the side of the boardwalk whereas it was smack bang in the middle (but if course up in the branches, not squatting on the handrail).

After returning home I went to drop a note of thanks to my helper and check the birds along Mather Rd.  A good sized flock of Tree Martins hawking over the paddocks had at least a couple of Fairy Martins mixed in - an addition to the trip list.  I also confirmed a Bowers Shrikethrush.  At the end of the road a Dusky Honeyeater was kind enough to pose for a photo.

Coming back I noticed some delicate white members of the family Fabaceae growing beside the road.

The leaves looked like Kennedia sp. but I can't find anything on the 'net which matches.  The set of images for "Kennedia white" were the biggest load of rubbish ever: the extreme bad labeling were a tomato or a pair of black shoes!

Back in the rain forest we found some flowers of a cauliferous twig.  These flowers have usually been on a main trunk.

We had seen a farmer driving around with bins full of bread on several occasions.  Today we met him as the cows wished to get to know Tammy and I was watching the interaction when he rolled up.

We had an interesting discussion including a fair sample of his political views: I'd say we had met a Katter voter.  He commented how live cattle exports were a boom for people like him since, by reducing supply to the local market it forced up prices such that he was getting $1200 per beast now, rather than $35 in the recent past.  (He didn't mention the impact on previous prices of 10 years of destocking due to drought!)

Later we found these very placid looking Brangus (I think) beasts.

We encountered them walking along the road to a fruit stall to acquire some bananas and avocados.  The former were good, the latter a little manky, but very cheap.

After dark we went to Forsythe Rd off Marks Lane where owls had been reported.  We didn't spot any Eastern Grass Owls as hoped for, but did see at least 6 Eastern Barn Owls, perched on fence posts or on the ground.

• Bird of the day: Wompoo Fruit-Dove.  Only my second sighting.  Flock is a loose term but 6 birds in a small area counts and gets the Barn Owl an award.
• Vegetation of the day: White bean
• Memorable moment: Finally seeing the Wompoo.
• Comment of the day: "Enjoy your trip back to cold Canberra.  Give my regards  to Malcolm." Our cattle feeding friend.  Another of his comments - about the ban of live cattle exports - was "I had to get an outside job just to keep feeding the cattle."
• Pie of the day: Not today.  My taste buds are still in rebellion after yesterday's effort.
• Troppo moment of the day. The group of tourists - led by a "professional" who should have known better - standing in the middle of Curtain Fig Rd  spotlighting at 8pm despite it being a main road, narrow and twisty with an 80kph speed limit.  

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