Blackie Lake disappointment

A pair of Sacred kingfisher have been hanging around the lake over summer. A fellow birder (thanks Trevor) had shown me where they had nested in previous years and they seemed to be hanging around the exact same nesting hollow.

Sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)
Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, 2 Feb 2012

When wandering around the lake yesterday I passed said nesting hollow and heard the sound of young birds. With much anticipation I found myself a "perch" at a respectable distance and waited. I must confess to being disappointed when this fellow stuck his head out!

Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)

I never saw the kingfishers actually enter any nesting hollow but I have just read that some astute observers reported nesting and young birds at the lake in November.

That makes me feel better!

A few other locals follow. I don't see Black-faced cuckoo-shrike frequently at the lake so I enjoyed seeing this bird yesterday.

Black-faced cuckoo-shrike 

Always obliging
Little pied cormorant 

Duck Yoga 

These guys have been hanging around a bit lately
lowering the tone of the neighbourhood.
Australian white ibis

Wha...what happened? What's that?
Maybe 20th wedding anniversaries
do weird things to a bloke

P.S. - I enjoyed creating my new blog background which is a photoshopped variation of a shot taken at one of my favourite spots, Deen Maar in Southwestern Victoria. The original can be seen in one of last year's Deen Maar posts.