Water-bottle bird

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Lukecla
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Water-bottle bird

There is a bird I often hear from dusk and into the night that has the nickname "water-bottle bird" due to its rising and accelerating 'bop bop bop bop...' like emptying a bottle of water. However, I haven't been able to connect it to any specific common name. I think it belongs to the cuckoo family though. Does anyone know this bird?

marj
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The Pheasant Coucal fits the description:

http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=177

Lukecla
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Thanks, I had that as a possibility too.

I had a look at your photos on flickr and was wondering what camera and lenses you use. Do you do travel around a lot to take photos or are a lot taken around where you live?

marj
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I have cattle dogs in the city so I walk them twice a day for an hour, and I take a Canon 30D with a Sigma 50-500 zoom with me. Most of my photos are taken at Newcastle off-leash areas.

I also have big trees (fig, white cedar, palms) that attract fig birds and Koel amongst others. And I'm on a creek that has resident waterbirds.

Betty
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Great photography, Marj. I hadn't seen that bird before. Hey, great to see you have cattle dogs. We have 3, 2 reds and a blue(plus 8 Shelties- noisy brats). LOL.
Betty

Lukecla
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How do you find the sigma 50-500mm? It doesn't have OS does it? Does not having OS affetc the quality of your photos? Do you use a tripod when going walking? What other lenses do you own?

marj
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No it doesn't have optical stabilization, and no I never use a tripod - I just hold the camera still. I think my bird photos are sufficiently sharp. I'd rarely take bird shots with any of my other lenses.

Lukecla
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So you'd recommend this lens... Does it produce good quality photos in poorer lighting conditions such as dull days? Would you say get Sigma rather than Canon (is the Canon quality worth the price?) Where did you buy your lens? I've looked in several photo shops and online compairing prices etc.

marj
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I'm reluctant to make recommendations. I did some research and decided the Sigma suited me better than the Canon. I have been very pleased with it. All of my birds shots in the last year have been taken with it including some scrubwrens recently where it was almost dark.

I purchased it through camerastore.com.au

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