Malleefowl working on a nest. The birds shift possibly 100's of tons of sand and litter each year.

Malleefowl working on a nest. A good view of the beautiful, smokey coloured, silky smooth shoulders.

Malleefowl working on a nest. A view showing the dark front. The pattern is unique and can be used to identify the bird.

Malleefowl on the nest.

Malleefowl on the nest. The eyes are ever alert.

Malleefowl battling the sliding sand in the bottom of the nest. The bird appears oblivious to the Researcher's height pole.

Malleefowl working on the nest. A great view of the crest and the colouring on the wings.

Malleefowl on the Nest. Do those legs ever stop?

Hard yakka! Getting ready to lay an egg. The birds work in tandem for several hours, shovelling and scratching the sand away. They change places frequently and often 'growl' at each other as they work.

Malleefowl on the Nest. A nice shot through the mallee scrub.

Malleefowl on the Nest. A close-up showing those legs in action.

Malleefowl on the Nest. A nice profile shot.

Malleefowl hen laying an egg. An incredible photograph!

The hen has just laid her egg. The egg is almost immediately covered by sand falling into the nest. Showing up white here, the egg is actually pale cream. The hen had a hard battle to climb out of the nest and rested for quite some time before disappearing into the scrub.

Malleefowl hen just after laying an egg. The photographer reported that the exhausted hen rested on the rim of the nest for quite some time before slowly wandering off.

Malleefowl pair on a nest. A wonderful black and white photograph showing a pair working a nest. Note the size of some of the litter used in the nest.

Newly hatched Malleefowl chick. Born in the evening of a New Year's Eve. The chick ran 20 metres up the track and was soon lost in the scrub.

Newly hatched Malleefowl chick. The chick's camouflage is obvious. Despite this, the survival rate is low.

Newly hatched Malleefowl chick. This wonderful close-up shot highlights the chicks camouflage.

Malleefowl working a nest. The bird is raking the sand back onto the nest.