Birds
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For Sharon,
I kept an eye out for the Godwit and spotted some recently but too far for my lens to get a decent photo. Today I saw a few on our side of the river bank so I took some photos. here is one :
same bird feeding next to some sharp tailed sandpipers
yesterday walking along the path I spotted some yellow rumped
Then I saw some thornbills flying away from a small tree. A bit closer I saw one was still there but as soon as I pointed the lens it too flew away. I then saw some movement inside the tree and another one came out and posed for me, not even two metres away. It let me shoot several photos from different directions (I was trying to get the best light) then I walked away.
Then I saw a brown falcon trying to hunt but it was a bit too windy so it was flying low and then gave up. Further on another one was up on a tree eating a jacky lizard
This is one of those lizards I photographed some weeks ago only a few hundred meters away
further on another falcon was on the top of a distant tree but as I walked past one of their favourite trees it came for a look. By that I suspect it’s the female.
She let me take a few photos, including walking around the tree because she was against the light at first, then took off and went back to the other tree.
I was happy with that.
Because of the heavy smoke it’s pretty pointless trying to take photos of birds these days but here is a photo of a sparrow I took a few weeks ago that got me banned from the local bird forum FB group .
The reason was that I refused to disclose the location… ( I was making a point about how stupid it is that “country Victoria” (half of the size of California) is OK as if that would help anyone to find the bird…)
and of course why would anyone want to know the location of a sparrow?
I think a moderator mistook that FaceBook page for a religion.
Still a bit smoky but much better and we had some rain so I was able today to take some more bird photos.
The first is one of my beloved kestrels back after about 2 months of absence
That last photo is of a black kite, my first photo of it within our usual walking area.
I took photos of it flying over my head for 11 minutes , nobody else was around.
I could not get the correct exposure with the odd light we had.
another photo of the same bird
We call them BSK (black shouldered kite)
We had 3 resident here, a pair and another one. Yes they do hover when hunting like the kestrels do. because the kestrels don’t mind me beign there I was able to observe how when hovering in the wind they keep the head still , the body wobbling away. Beats the stabiliser built into my camera.
Here is Bert (a female , my fav kestrel) and one of a BSK hovering
Talk about birds watching .. the willy wagtail come and have a look , the one I posted yesterday was posing for me, in the bush they can follow but flying ahead for several hundred metres. The fairy wrens also like to come out and show themselves as some thornbill do to, again like the one above.
That black kite yesterday was flying over and around me for 11 minutes according to the Metadata. I was the only one there so that is always easier for me to get closer to the birds .
Another hazy smoky day but I saw 3 different raptors so I was happy with that. I spotted again the black kite, the brown falcon was around and then I took my first photos here of a sparrowhawk
This is it
I could not.
For a start there is no way I could crop on film the way I do on digital.
Another very basic reason is that It would be VERY expensive to take as many shots as I do on film even though I only shoot one frame at a time because I am too lazy to come home and sort out a usable shot from hundreds.
Another one is that I did darkroom work but I would not be able to do what Photoshop does for me in a few seconds.
This is the original (however reduced in size) photo of that hawk
Could be a different frame, I did take several photos after it stopped trying to catch some birds and rested there for a while. Because I don’t know this particular bird I did not try to get to close to it so as not to scare it away.
BTW the collared sparrowhawk is only about one foot long.
Australian Kookaburra, with an EVIL EYE:
It has a story with it of course.Our local walk for the day went through a small park, with tables, so we stopped for morning tea. Stove, coffee, fresh wholemeal buns, butter, jam, all spread out. Then this kookaburra turned up and tried to steal Sue’s bun! Well, there was a fight of course – for the bun. Sue was stronger so she won. But in the process the kookaburra kicked my cup of freshly brewed coffee flying. I was a bit peeved: coffee and coffee grounds everywhere and the cup upside down. An EVIL bird! He did not fly away: he sat there hoping for a handout. NO WAY!
Fine strong fellow though.
Cheers
Those woodpeckers remind me of a local bird called white fronted chat. The chat is only abour 3″ long
Pretty common but a first for me , the Fairy Martin. A flock was flying about where we have had the similar Welcome Swallow for a few months.
here is one photoThe sky is still filled with smoke haze, some days better than others. The other day it was slightly clearer so I went out to do my usual 5 km or so loop and spotted three different raptors.
A new one for me was the Swamp Harrier. Very long wings compared to the body.
so far in that area , of the raptors, I have photographed Little Eagles, Kestrels, Black Kites, Black Shouldered Kites, Brown Falcons, Hobby , White Belly Sea Eagle and the Swamp Harrier. Not bad given the small Park size and proximity to the built up area.
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