Immediately after the Iron Range trip, I went to Alice Springs with a bird photography group led by Mark Carter, David Stowe and Henry Cook. One of the sites we visited was a dam SW of Alice Springs. It was the only reliable water for a long way, so we decided to stake it out.
These grey teal had already claimed their spot.
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This Australian hobby had the same idea.
It didn't take long before the birds started to arrive. There were plenty of zebra finches. They might be abundant, both in the wild and in aviaries, but I still think they are gorgeous little things.
A small flock of budgies flew over, but most didn't settle. Luckily for us, a few rugged individuals peeled away from the mob and joined the zebra finches.
There were also grey-headed honeyeaters...
crested pigeons...
and galahs.
This grey butcherbird must have picked up some tips from the hobby, because moments after I took this photo, it flew straight into a flock of zebra finches.
But it didn't have much luck. Good news for the finches, not so good for the butcherbird.
