Channel-billed Cuckoo

I was lucky enough to at last get a photo of a Channel-billed Cuckoo. This was taken while on Stradbroke Island the other day. The juvenile bird was calling to its host parents, in this case Torresian Crow.

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Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae)

The Channel-billed Cuckoo is the largest of all parasitic birds, well over half a metre long, with the wingspan approaching a metre. When in flight from below it looks like a flying cross.

Torresian Crow

This young Torresian Crow was trying to get through our chain wire fence the other day. As we have a small dog we thought it was better to give it a helping hand up into one of our trees so the parents could come and help it out, which they did after a lot of calling from the young one.
The next morning the crows were back calling and I found another young one in the mango tree.
This is the first time I have seen a young crow after them breeding in the area for many years. Maybe the Koel did not make it to their nest this year.

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Torresian Crow (Corvus orru)

Fungi

For something different this time I would like to share some photos of Fungi we came across while doing the Tin Can Bay Foreshore Birdwalk. If anyone could help with ID of these that would be great thank you.
With all the wet weather we are having up this way it might be a good time for us to try and check out an area we know of where we have found a good variety of fungi in the past. That is if the creek crossings are passable.

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TCB Bird Walk Continued

Continuing along the Tin Can Bay Foreshore Bird Walk, we came across this Magpie-lark in the process of building its nest. It was gathering feathers, grass and spiderwebs, before mixing these with mud from a pool of water on one of the tracks not far from its nest site.

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Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca)

A bit further along the walk we saw some White-throated Honeyeaters and Brown Honeyeaters anting among leaves. They seemed to take no notice of us at all allowing us plenty of time to observe their antics while doing this.

White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)

This one seemed to have a look that says "What are you looking at"

New take on shower with a friend. Better to ant with a friend.

Time to rearrange the feathers.

Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta)

Not to be out done by the White-throated Honeyeaters, this pair of Brown Honeyeaters joined in as well.

A view along the Bird Walk.

Peaceful Dove & Red-browed Finch

What to do when you have a King Tide, and an overcast sky ready to drench you at any minute. Why not go and see what birds are around the Inskip Point area? Thanks Mick for the day out. Beats sitting at home wondering what to do, seeing that we were not going to risk kayaking with the weather the way it was.

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Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida) (striata)

In one of the camping areas this Peaceful Dove was searching amongst the leaf litter for food, while the Red-browed Finch had no trouble finding his.

Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)

Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)

We knew it was going to be a King Tide, but I would like to know who told these Little Black Cormorants to roost this high on the ramp of one of the Vehicular Ferrys that take 4WD vehicles over to Fraser Island?

It seems like everything was going for higher ground including this Goanna. Just as well, as the water had by now reached the camping ground. Normally a peaceful spot to camp.

Even the road to Bullock Point was not safe from the King Tide.