Thx for the lovely comment! I do my best with the little material I have, sometimes I do have to use music, when I have absolutely no video material of my own and no bird sound to connect to the visual, but I keep that volume low. Like you I dislike the seemingly mandatory use of music, which volume is so high it can't even be called background music... Anyway, end of mini-rant ;-)

We try, but tend to forget, getting footage of the nature. So focused finding birds, then ID them. Everything is new, and almost everything is hiding in trees in awful light. Frustrating, but fun when we succeed! So far, aside from the dentist emergency, all has gone smoothly. The dentist appointment went well, but that was a lot of extra hours spent in and transit to and from, Cairns. We got a late (around 7 PM) arrival to Lake Eacham. But, after installing our stuff in the cottage, we went straight to the night-lighted platform, despite a stubborn light rain. Good that we did, they have some sugar-feeding on two tree trunks, and we saw Striped Possum, Long-nosed Bandicoot and Krefft's Glider (a k a Sugar Glider)!

@@Hummingbirder1 Oh no! What happened?

@@hellasbarons I wrote a nice long answer but in the meanwhile the net got unconnected and I didn't realize and pressed the comment-button which means all that text got lost in limbo, never to get recaptured. I sat and wrote for minutes! Now I've lost the time-allowance for YouTubing, bcs I need to wash up some underwear, then pack my things for the Michaelmas Cay trip tomorrow, then do the bird list for today, then go to sleep bcs VERY early rising tomorrow. I'll write a mail about the tooth-stuff later. But all is OK with that now, I got very lucky in the whole unlucky situation. So, no worries! All is still rainbows and unicorns... well... let's not get too carried away, ha-ha. All is well, is what I mean!

@@Hummingbirder1 Yeah, no worries. If all is good we'll see you later.

Proboscis Bats, always fun to see!

Napo Wildlife Center, in Yasuni NP

Hi Joan! For the moment we're in Kuranda, staying at The Cassowary House, obviously hoping for Cassowary. So far: not going well. We keep missing Emu, too. And yesterday a bit of my upper left molar went loose. Not sure if it's a filling or a part of the tooth itself. Not good. No pain, but I can't ignore it and hope it will stay OK the 1,5 month that's left before arriving home! And it has to be fixed while in QLD, bcs after that it's only a few days in each state, no time for anything outside the itinerary... I Googled dentist in the closest areas, not many and no time before Friday. Not good. I found a dentist in Cairns that had a time at 3 PM in Cairns on Oct 2. Not ideal, but good enough, that's a transport day. Outcheck from Innisfail Hotel at 10 then those hours before incheck at Chambers in Lake Eacham at 2 PM. We'll have to go directly to Cairns from Innisfail, then fill the time until the appointment at 3, then head directly up to Lake Eacham after the appointment. So, it's doable and a relief. Not looking forward to it, but it has to be done! So typical, I took an early visit for my yearly check in late July, just to be checked out, dental-wise, before the trip. That shows you that you can never be sure of anything, that's for sure (ha-ha!)

Hi there! We're now 15 days into our Aussie Mega Trip. We've done reasonable well so far, missing much but still getting a few "special" species, mainly bcs of luck. The loop in NT are behind us, and we'll leave Cape York tomorrow and return to Cairns.

@@Hummingbirder1 wow, how was Cape York? Did you manage to get the Palm Cockatoos, Magnificent Riflebirds or Eclectus Parrots?

@@Hummingbirder1 Are you heading to Atherton Tablelands or have you been there already?

Hi Joan! This minute (Sunday afternoon, Sept 22) we're taking a well deserved siesta, our last afternoon at Portland House, Cape York. We'll go out a short round before dinner, trying to get better views of the Palm Cockatoo (we've glimpsed them, heard them and actually got one OK view, with one OK photo). After dinner we'll venture out, trying to see some nightbirds, we tried EARLY this morning (started 03:30!) but got meagre result. Only two Large-tailed Nightjars spotted, and they were wary, so: no photos. We've done reasonably well, considering we know nothing and nobody. We're very happy with our adventure so far!☺

I had to look up Trumpet Manucode and stared at it. It looked like a Bower Bird. But of course, it's a Bird of Paradise. I can see I will be educated on our own eastern coast birds... how embarrassing :) You sound happy, so all is well.

😂(We're spending our last afternoon at Portland House, Cape York now, flying back to Cairns tomorrow. Internet here somewhat OK, but we're very busy driving along Portland Rd, looking for the important birds. Got some of'em, most importantly Palm Cockatoo, Trumpet Manucode and Magnificent Riflebird. The last two are Birds of Paradise!)

@@Hummingbirder1 Pappa Cassowary tar hand om barnen och är rättså fientlig då. Just sayin'.

We have Birds of Paradise in the garden.... well hm ... the plant.

Hi Joan! It's great to get to "talk" to you again... The internet access on our NT loop has been very patchy. I made an answer to your comment on the last west coast vacation video, mostly a comment about the fact that we indeed had arrived to Australia, safe and sound. And a few other sentences I've forgotten all about by now... However, in the middle of the commenting the internet winked out without me noticing, so when I pressed "send" it ofc went nowhere. Anyway, the flights went smoothly, no snafus. Left hand traffic is a chore, as expected. Lots of windshield swipes instead of direction lights, when in a tight spot. When the directions from my partner is well in advance and I plan accordingly, I remember where the different functions are ;-)

Hi again, Joan! I take this opportunity to comment back, while we have (weak) internet connection and also time to sit and hang out with our laptops. We're at Coconut Grove apartments, resting in preparation for our late LATE (and long, via Brisbane!) flight to Cairns at 01:15. We've spent the morning birding the Darwin Botanic Garden and East Point, without really getting any Target Birds. No energy left, really, too hot for us Swedes (as anticipated). Temp hovers between +33-36C.

That white moth looks like it's made of satin!

I love Black Oystercatchers! I also like the kind of habitat they prefer 🙂 I'm hoping to get a new species of OC soon, I'm "down under" for a Mega Trip (69 days, all over Australia) and will try to see Sooty OC. We've already seen Pied OC. We're only one week into the trip, seeing a lot of new birds ofc. Internet access is spotty and leasure time non-existant, so I'll have almost no time to hang out on the net. Responses will be scarce and slow in coming...

He-he, golf courses are notorious birding spots everywhere, I suppose! American Kestrel is so tiny in comparision with the one we have over here... Cheers right back at'ya, from Sweden 🙂

I bet! I've had so much better times there on my earlier trips to NW India, we stayed at Shanti Kutir Lodge that was open for lodging then, in Jan 1998 and 1999. Saw two Siberian Cranes. First time I was there, in Nov 1984 I also slept at Shanti Kutir, all those three times we moved around on those monstrous black rental bicykles. Great times! Edit: those times were also longer visits, between 3 days to a week (1999)

Hi Joan! It was a wonderful day! Weather was perfect, albeit a tad hot for our taste... We told ourselves it was a necessary "practice run" for our Aussie trip, but knew 27 C isn't much practice for northern Australia. We northerners aren't really made for temperatures/climate like that. Hopefully we'll get used to it, or we'll have to plan our days wisely. Getting more south at the end of October should give us more "Swedish" temperatures, we'll see. The countdown is down to single digits now, only 4 days left... I'm buzzing with a low-level, but almost constant, stress now, to fix the last big things before departure. Early Wednesday morning (Sep 4) I'll take the car to the shop to shift the tires to winter tires (too early, but when I arrive back home on Nov 13 it will be hard to get time to do it in time before the mandatory date, and I'll have to make a long drive to get my parrotlets back from the babysitter). I'll go directly home, put the car to bed in the garage, then just check the bags so everything that's supposed to come with, is packed. Tidy the apartment, change to travel clothes, call a cab and off to the airport. We'll spend the night there since the flight is early Thu 5. Tuesday Sep 3 is the day dedicated to take the parrotlets to the babysitter.😬 Edit: I'm also fixing my upload for next Saturday, and will schedule a few of the remade Ecuador-videos for a few other upcoming Saturdays. I suspect I won't have that much time (or energy) to remember what weekday it is, while gallivanting all over Northern Territory and N QLD, so it's probably wise to have a few week's videos queued up.🤔

Wishing you both safe travels and a wonderful time. I feel sure you will love us Aussies. And Pia, don't forget your monopod :)

Hi Joan! The continuing conundrum of RU-vid comments! Duade has a filter on, that sometimes snags my long comments, to be checked later, he told me. And he gets so many comments now, that that later time can be significant. I, however, have no deluge of comments and have no filter function activated on my channel! So, that's odd. We don't appreciate vanished comments, do we? (Nope) And, yes, the Blackbird's song is highly appreciated and known by many in Sweden. Not only birders, I think. It's such a common bird here, very well established in cities as well. They start singing very early, both in time of year and of day. It's always a bit sad, in late summer, when they stop.

Thank you so much!

I love the Grasshopper Warbler! It was the first "night singer" I got on photo, way back when there were no digital cameras around... So, you're out recording bird song at night in spring/early summer? Do you only go for the night singers, or do you record other birds too? I haven't really checked your account on Xeno Canto, I just listened to part of your Blyth's Reed Warbler, when it was featured on the starting page last year.

@@Hummingbirder1 I mainly focus on the night singers during May till June, its my most waited time. To make the time fly faster, I start recording blackbirds and starlings from March to end of April. And when the juicy time comes, then its hoarding time lol. This year for example I managed to collect 10 different Thrush nightingales and 21 different Blyth's reed warblers, 7 marsh warblers and 1 grasshopper warbler :). Around 50 audios total of 67 hours :). Two recorders is an amazing strategy :D

@@Hummingbirder1 I never can find the singers even if it is infront of me :'). I had marsh warbler singing few meters from me and BRW too (under a meter) and no matter where I looked (Went on the ground and looked the braches against brigher sky) still couldn't see. So it is amazing you were able to see one. I worry too much I make the bird fly worse place, as audio to me is super important (I want all the beats!) Wait what starting page o_O?

@@FlackoWeasel Starting page of Xeno Canto: home page is more correct term? They have a feature recording that they change regularly. I suspect you just had uploaded that long recording of the Blyth's and they were thrilled and put it front and center.

@@Hummingbirder1 I honestly did not know that!! Thank you for telling me :O

Thank you! (It really was a perfect evening/night!)

Hi Joan! So irritating: I just wrote a nice, long answer but the video was playing while I typed, and when my writing was all but done the video was done and started autoplaying some other video... When that happens, before the answer-button has been pressed, well... that comment is gone😑 So, I'll try to recreate it, remembering to press "pause" this time... It was a *truly* magical evening and night, with the perfect weather at the right time and place! That seldom happens, here in Sweden. Going out for the "night-singers" is mostly a feast for the ears, you seldom see the birds. That's kind of part of the magic. With the Midnight Sun you can spot some of the birds (like the warbler) if you put your mind to it. The Corn Crake and the Quail: not so much. (Uppsala hasn't true MS, it's situated too far south, but the weeks around summer solstice we have a decent part. There isn't a true "black night", just a few hours of darkness until the sun rises again) I'm glad we went to the Bog place, where I could get nice video without that dratted traffic noise! The first place is quite close to a road that have a lot of cars driving by in 80 km/h.

Do they pop up there regularily?

@@Hummingbirder1 Overall, Shetland accounts for 15 of the 18 UK records but the frequency of this species has increased since 2003 with 16 records. I live in hope 😀

Hi Joan! How was the camping trip? (Also: Googling Rambutan, then nodding in agreement.)

Also also: don't forget checking out the Nightjar video from the Saturday of your trip... I'm so proud of it!

The only Nightjar in your area seems to be the White-throated, and its call/"song" is a shortish, almost mildy maniac laugh. The Owlet-Nightjar also have a spooky screech or just a short call. Nothing cikada like sound. (And up here we have no cikadas. Only those large green grasshoppers, doesn't sound like anything like this. Wrong season as well, they have their singing in late summer, the Nightjars only late spring-early summer)

@@Hummingbirder1 The Owlet sound awful. No cikada's there!

After that second visit, functioning as the main course for all the present mozzies, I had the backpack equipped with all the stuff. The rubber boots was in the car trunk, I just had to put them on... Since they're a bit uncomfy to track up and down the trail with, one tend to "forget" them and choose better trail footwear. After a few hours with blood-frenzied mosquitoes I got a bit wiser 😆

@@Hummingbirder1 😝

I think one can see that the bill vibrates, from slightly open to close, in very fast frequency. But only on the footage from that lowest perch ("The upside down L") when I'm posted on prime position. But it ain't easy to see, it's not quite close enough and it's just too dark. I would love to film it with led-light, but I'm quite sure that wouldn't fly. He would, though (fly, I mean). Last year we tried shine a flashlight on one, he flew off pronto. Odd that taking photo with flash was deemed somewhat OK.

Thank you so much!

Hi Joan! How was the camping trip?? Did you bring any pudding?😉 (If not, hopefully you've got your fill by now.) Where did you go? Just a short trip, I guess, since you weren't gone that long. That's why I didn't comment back immediately, I thought you'd be out and away a little longer. I spent the weekend test-packing my stuff, it's a depressing activity... Progress is made, though. I also struggle to fix photos for a Bolivia-serie that I earlier hoped would be done before departure. That hope has almost vanished, now.

A rock shattered the rear door window of our 4x4 so we had to come home again first day. Anyway, it was a beautiful Day-Trip with the trees and scrub so green after all the rain. Lots of water in the claypans and lots of birds. Lots of kangaroos too, one of which we hit on the way home (night). We were crawling along to avoid the roos and cattle but one came out of nowhere. The roo-bar took the impact, so no extra damage to the Pajero. Pudding was in the form of blueberry muffin and a variety of chocolates (very naughty indeed). Our rear-door window is being fitted today (replacement on overnight freight); we will pack and refuel tomorrow and take off again Friday morning. I thought my first comment didn't post, so I sent another short comment. All the best with your test-packing and of course we'll watch the Bolivia series whenever it goes up.

Thank you!

Yes, we really were lucky! We've heard it on that location quite a few years, but never had its singing perch been within viewing possibility! And on top of being possible to see, it was so CLOSE! It really was a WOW moment 🙂

Hi Donna, and thank YOU for the nice words!

Hi Joan! I'm glad this video made your day, if not brighter, at least not worse 🙂It was a great day to be a birder, for sure. Add then the video from last week, with the hare and the flowers and the dipp of the Great Snipe-lek that made the end of that day, and you might get the somewhat deflated sence of success we felt when arriving home. We had had such great luck with almost everything at Hjälstaviken, the Snipes had been reported lekking at Kungsängen the nights before and this night was perfect, we were so *sure* we'd get their play. Which just shows one cannot be too sure of anything, ha ha. And almost as soon as we left they did a few displays... So typical! But the sight, photos and video of the Savi's Warbler still topped everything, even the Owl, so never mind the Snipes!