Life Is A Carnivore

Images and annotations exploring the nature and culture of Australia's tropical deep north and beyond ... plus reposted gems from the global treasure house of Tumblr. Feel free to repost for non-commercial use, with a credit line. My photos (except where otherwise stated).

[petercookedarwin]

This Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) spent a week hanging out near my friend Ian Munro’s little bit of paradise in the Esk Valley in South East Queensland. It obliged with some nice action for his Canon 5dIII and 100-400mm lens. Envious I am. 

[petercookedarwin]

When they are feeding in a blossom-filled tree the Silver-crowned Friarbirds (Philemon argenticeps) seem to spend more time chasing away smaller honeyeaters than they do sipping nectar. These pictures were taken near the Nathan River ranger station in Limmen National Park, Northern Territory. In the top picture the blossoms are from a eucalpyt (E. papuana?) and below in a Bat-winged Coral Tree (Erythrina variegata). 

[petercookedarwin]

The Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) is almost constantly in motion as it forages, dipping wings and then fanning its tail and flipping wings. This one was in typical habitat, amongst pandanus on the creek at the Nathan River Ranger Station in Limmen National Park, Northern Territory. 

[petercookedarwin]

[petercookedarwin]

The Yellow Oriole (Oriolus flavocinctus) is another bird that can often be seen at Darwin’s East Point Reserve within the extensive dry jungle there. 

[petercookedarwin]

The dry jungle at East Point in Darwin is prime habitat for Orange Footed Scrub-fowls (Megapodius reinwardt) and they’re often seen attending to the many huge nest mounds found there. But on a beautiful dry season morning these two were off to spend some time at the nearby beach, foraging happily amongst the wrack at the high tide mark. 

[petercookedarwin]

We had just arrived at a rock art site at Tawallah in Limmen National Park and were getting gear ready to record the art when this beautiful Olive Python came out from under a pile of rocks and slowly and calmly headed along the bottom of the cliff. The snake looked in the peak of health with a plentiful food supply in a cave where ghost bats roost and Wood Swallows and Martins make their mud nests. Plenty of opportunity for an ambush predator. About an hour later we found the python curled up and taking it easy under a rock further up the slope. The Australian Reptile Park has this to say about the Olive Python: Growing to almost 4 metres, this robust python is Australia’s second largest snake species. Olive pythons are found across northern Australia, from Western Australia to Queensland. They are found in mountain ranges and savannah woodlands and favour rocky gorges and watercourses. They are mainly nocturnal and during the day will shelter in rock crevices and hollows. They are great swimmers and will hunt in watercourses. Diet: Mammals – as large as rock wallabies – birds, reptiles and frogs. As well as catching prey in the water, they have been known to wait in ambush on mammal pads. Once they’ve caught prey they kill it by wrapping their coils around it and so that the animal suffocates because it can no longer draw in air.

[petercookedarwin]

Looking through some old photos from a trip to Sarawak in 2011 I found this picture of  a Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike (Hemipus picatus).  It’s common and a resident in Borneo but also found in the  Himalayas, Indian Sub-continent, South West China and various parts of South East Asia.  I think I took the picture at the fabulous Gunung Mulu National Park. 

[petercookedarwin]

In the breeding season from August to January the male Purple-Crowned Fairy Wren (Malurus coronets) puts on a gaudy purple crown. When we saw this stunning little bird at Little Towns River Crossing in the Limmen National Park last week he was still fully in eclipse. Nevertheless he and his lady friends were adorned with their beautiful blue tail feathers, the middle feathers tipped with white. 

[petercookedarwin]

At only 8—9cm overall length the Weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris) is Australia’s smallest bird. Last week at Limmen National Park near the Roper River we found a pair busy feeding two hungry chicks tucked up nicely in their hooded nest of paperbark, leaves and spiders web suspended only a metre or so above the ground in a eucalypt. As well as small insects, the parents were bringing the youngsters white sugary secretions (lerps) left on the underside of leaves by psyllids or jumping plant lice (middle picture). 

[petercookedarwin]

As well as enjoying a traditional diet of nectar and fruit, the Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanosis) is also partial to a little fast food. This bird and some friends hang out at a little roadside cafe at Mataranka, south of Katherine in the Top End of the Northern Territory. They fairly aggressively demand food from the patrons sitting under the umbrellas outdoors. This bird shows the bright blue eyepatches of an adult bird. Very young birds start out with yellowish patches, and work through various shades of green until the adult blue phase. 

[petercookedarwin]

“I spy with my little eye … lunch!”… A Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus) launches in high-speed pursuit of an insect meal beside a billabong in Limmen National Park on the western coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. 

[petercookedarwin]

This Buff-sided Robin (Poecilodryas cervineventris) emerged from vine scrub next to the Cox River in Limmen National Park to look for insects in burnt scrub during our visit last week.   What a treat to see this charming and cheeky little bird for the first time. While it can be found in riverine habitat from the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast to the Kimerbleys it is local, patchy and generally uncommon. 

[petercookedarwin]

Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea) is found in coastal areas from Tasmania northwards and back west as far as around Broome in Western Australia. Usually seen discretely perched in tangled tree-roots or low branches near streams but in flight a lightning fast flash of deep blue and orange. 

[petercookedarwin]

[petercookedarwin]

Where is this waterfall exactly? Does it have a name? Glorious!

Falls into the east alligator river...no name on a map but it no doubt has an indigenous name. I grabbed the pic just in passing from a chopper...in the wet season obviously. Thanks for the interest.

[petercookedarwin]

Waterfall on the Western Arnhem Land Plateau.