Blind Snake killed by Tawny Frogmouth

I found this dead Blackish Blind Snake Anilios nigriscens yesterday below a Tawny Frogmouth nest. It was lying directly below the birds' nest where there were two well-grown chicks, days form fledging. The snake was in amongst the scattering of droppings from the chicks, and there were two distinct pinches in the body, indicating where a frogmouth had gripped the snake when thrashing it against a branch to kill it prior to delivering it to the chicks. There were broken scales on the head indicating this, see image below. 

The nest was on the branch of a Yellow Box Eucalyptus melliodora. The adult male bird on the nest can be seen here against the sky. Less easily seen is the female two branches below.

Blind snakes are only nearly-blind. They hunt by following invertebrates such as ants and termites in burrows and have evolved scales over their tiny eyes, seen here as faint black spots 3-4 scales back from the snout. They seldom venture above ground except after rain, and 27 mm of rain fell in Canberra in the 48 hours previous to this find. Its burrow had probably been flooded. On one of these wet evenings, I watched another frogmouth hunting small invertebrates on the edge of a road. It sat on a sign post or branch and watched for prey to move. There were obviously plenty, as the bird only sat on a perch for a less than a minute at a time before pouncing down and carrying off some small animal to its young back at their nest. This snake, at 44 mm long, would have been an easy find and capture. 

Blind Snakes are almost defenseless against such attacks. They have very small mouths and cannot bite like an elapid snake. They can twist and turn, and release foul-smelling odour, but neither of these strategies would protect it against a frogmouth. I do wonder though, why was it lying below the nest. This is the largest snake recorded to have been killed by a Tawny  Frogmouth, twice the size of the previous record. Was it too large for a chick to swallow. Or had it been dropped between adult and chick by accident. I believe the latter scenario, as such a large snake must have been difficult for the birds to maneuver between mouths, especially inexperienced young mouths. 

Canberra Spider Orchids

Arachnorchis actensis

The orchids in and around Canberra are flowering really well this year after high rainfall in autumn, winter and spring. In the past week I have seen several species in flower, the more common ones in thousands on Black Mountain. Even some of the local specialties have been out in high numbers. And I have seen several groups of the local endemic Canberra Spider Orchid, with a total of over thirty flower spikes. By far the most I have ever seen.

A little group of Wax-lipped Orchids Glossodia major.

The detail of a Nodding Greenhood Pterostylis nutans.

At only about 10 cm tall and with two slim leaves, this Canberra Spider Orchid is easily overlooked in the shadowed leaf litter.

A burst of sunshine helps define the flower.

And the intricate detail of the flower head. A very rare flower. A treasure.

 First Shingleback of the Spring

The weather picked up a bit last week. It was bit warmer, there was blossom on all the fruit trees and many birds are well into breeding mode. And there hasn't been a frost for a while. All enough to encourage the reptiles to come out from their snug winter quarters under logs, rocks and sheds. Enough for this shingleback to take a wander through the woodlands.

I always stop to chat to these lovely lizards when I meet one. They are so harmless, quiet and sort of trusting that we won't hurt them, as they are too slow to escape. I just hope that more people do the same and don't bother them by picking them up and stressing them. Take a good look at them, get to know them, share the bush with them. 

I particularly like how the scales around their eyes fit together so well. The dust highlights this one's features and it's eye is intensely focused on the camera lens -  a big eye from its perspective.

It is obvious how they gained their name, shingleback, the scales along their back fit together like shingles on a roof, and they are just as efficient at casting water. But that dust does tend to get into all the cracks.

 Spring Frogmouths

After a long slow winter, people-wise, due to obvious reasons, spring is now well on the way here in Canberra and fieldwork is in full swing. There was good rainfall in autumn and winter, and the plants have turned the landscape green. The Tawny Frogmouths Podargus strigoides however have of course stayed in their neutral grey colouring. Like this pair sitting in the sunshine, one above the other. 

The male was highest, sitting between grey branches with his head tilted up to the sun.

The female has more red on her collar, the females usually have more red (tawny) in their plumage than the males. In this spot, the red and grey fits well with the red and grey of the tree bark. Do the birds know this, the colour of the background and their plumage, and select roosting sites to suit?

Meanwhile, at another territory, the birds already have eggs and the male was sitting as they do during the day. They share incubation at night when they have to hunt for themselves.

A closer view of the male on the nest, showing trust in his camouflage and 'dead branch' pose for protection.

Autumn Frogmouths

It's now late autumn in Canberra and the Tawny Frogmouths are settling into their winter roosts. Each pair seems to have a favourite perch where they will spend most of the winter days, although they will occassionally move to other perches nearby. They like to use dead branches on the northern side of a live tree where they can bask in the sunshine. And they settle close to the trunk, where they blend in well with the background tree structure.

The female is usually perched behind the male, closest to the trunk. He is larger than her, and females in most animal populations are the more important sex as they lay the eggs. This female is peeking over her partner's shoulder. He might appear to be asleep in the sunshine, but he will be watching me through almost closed eyelids.

Even from a more favourable aspect to see them against the sky, they are still well concealed. They match the form of the dead branch as well as the colours.

This is how they were when I found them, basking with heads tilted back, to catch maximum warmth from the sun. And that was how I left them.