Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilus)

Funny how things happen sometimes. I had been trudging through some shoulder height grass, loaded up with camera and tripod, this particular morning to gain a better vantage point of another species when this little guy flew out of the grass ahead of me. I barely had time to get the tripod on the ground and squeeze of a couple of frames before he disappeared into the long grass again. I've found these birds to be very skittish so I was pleased to grab this photo. I always marvel at their ability to balance on the tender grass stems.This bird is a breeding male of the species. The birds can be found throughout eastern and northern Australia.