How does a Golden-crowned Cisticola dry his wings?
I'll come to that presently. Think about it. (Not like an Anhinga hung out
to dry, anyway.)
Curiosity as to the outcome of the ongoing battle between the Brisbane City
Council and Salvinia auriculata takes me to the Minnippi Parklands on
Brisbane's east side, where occupation of the lake is in dispute. So far
the fern has won. Biological control with weevils is likely to take a few
years. Not soon enough. Spraying (with what noxious substances, I know
not) has made the fern sick-looking, but as yet there are no significant
areas of open water.
Now I understand the Council is to bring in the heavy artillery: Some form
of floating weed muncher that they used at Minnippi once before on water
hycinth. Hope I get to see it in action.
Meanwhile perched on the highest tip of a young Casuarina tree beside the
lake was a Golden-crowned Cisticola singing away to proclaim his ownership
of that stretch of lake shore. It is not lyrebird breeding season (and in
any case we are too drought-stricken for lyrebirds to be much interested in
song) an so I'm not busy in the sound recording area. Taping the Cisticola
seemed potentially interesting. So a few more visits to Minnippi ensued.
This morning on a preliminary (5:00AM) reconnaissance of the lake, there was
a Cisticola, singing away on the tip of a tree. But for him, I wouldn't
have noticed three Chestnut-breasted Mannikins quietly dining on grass-seeds
just a few metres from the track. Very attractive little birds. But the
amusing sight was a Purple Swamphen doing the finch thing: perched about a
metre off the ground on a grass clump (yes we have sturdy grass-clumps here
in the sub-tropics) and pulling grass-stems in with one foot to dine on the
seed-heads. (Introduced species of Paspalum, is my guess as to the type of
grass.)
Collected my recording gear from the car just in nice time to get a
recording before the Cisticola stopped for breakfast. On this occasion he
worked over a mown area apparently taking no notice of my presence only
metres from him. Very inconspicuous he was, hopping around on the ground
and dining (I assume) on grass seeds.
It had rained during the night, and I guess he picked up quite a bit of
moisture while gleaning seeds for (breakfast over) he flew to a tree-top for
a thorough preen and brush up. One stroke with the beak, then very rapid
fluttering of the wings. The two actions alternated for quite a while.
Quite effective, I imagine, for drying the feathers.
And there was a handsome male Red-backed Wren and family in he same grassy
area. A pleasant morning in the suburbs.
Unfortunately the parklands border the main highway to the Gateway Bridge,
so the usefulness of my recording will depend on how well the roar of
traffic can be filtered out.
Syd Curtis
PS. Ever noticed how strongly the silhouette of a soaring White Ibis, seen
in just the right aspect, resembles the traditional depiction of an
Archaeopterix?
S
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