Hi all, well I failed at my quest to get a picture of a Gang Gang Cockatoo which are suposed to be very common in my neck of the woods... hmmm seems not in Sherbrooke wood (forest). Did spot a couple of Red Browed Treecreepers though, very busily stripping off bark and eating the insects underneath, very hard to get a shot and this was the best of about fifteen. hmmm that URL doesn't look right so I'll post this before I add any more photos..
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
ok seems to only let me post small pics... a couple of an Eastern Robin
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
and finally in my backyard when I got home a juvenile Kookaburra
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Hi Heva
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In a birding priority I would rate the Red-browed TC as the most special. I remember them, (from when I was a kid) calling from the tops of 30 metre high Eucalypts. So any close shot is an achievement.
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But the Yellow Robin is the top shot, photographically. Normally, tittle guys sit there until just before I get my lens focussed - then they are off!
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Kookas, on the other hand, one sometimes has to shoo them away.
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Recently, Gelmir and Chai and I saw a busload of Japanese Birdwatchers arrive at a picnic ground in the Royal National Park. They spotted a Kookaburra sitting on a low branch. They surrounded the bird and proceeded to photograph it from all angles, with the longest camera lenses we have ever seen.
I felt like telling them to cook up a few sausages, to see what a Kookaburra can really do when it wants to perform.
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That said, your bird is very nicely lined up.
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Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
Thanks Denis, I appreciate your comments.
Yes I was pretty pleased to get the RBTC, I thought it was the white throated that I had seen in Bright, and was happy to note the red brow and the word 'uncommon' in my bird book.
I know what you mean about tourists and cameras, at Grants Picnic ground (a car park in the Sherbrooke Forest)there are usually busloads of tourists snapping away and feeding the Cockatoos, Rosellas and Galahs, and I think to myself (as they all pile back on the bus after thier alloted 15 minutes) come with me and see a Lyrebird or a group of bush wallabies sunning themselves or several Kookas poised for prey or an Echidna.... but then I guess if they did come with me I wouldn't get to see those things 'cos they are too noisy!!
Denis I hope you don't mind me asking... are you a professional 'birding person' (is the correct term Ornithologist?)you are always so knowledeable about bird ID and habits and habitat etc.
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Top shots Hev, I love your Robin and Kooka and I enjoyed having a look at the Tree Creeper as I have not seen that one before,thanks for sharing Hev.
Hi Heva
Nice of you to ask, but I am just someone who grew up learning about plants and birds. I was lucky to be surrounded by experts and leaned from them the little things to look for.
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Still learning, hopefully.
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Liked your comment about the Bus tourists 15 minutes and what you could have shown them if they had known to ask, or just had some time to look for themselves.
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Mind you I was jealous of their expensive camera gear!
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Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
Ah but Denis in the words of Hugh Macleod from his book "How to be creative"
There's no correlation between creativity and equipment ownership. None. Zilch. Nada. Actually, as the artist gets more into his thing, and as he gets more successful, his number of tools tends to go down. He knows what works for him. Expending mental energy on stuff wastes time.
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Hi Heva
Thanks. That gave me a wry smile.
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I love my macro lens and teleconverter combination, which I know how to operate.
The camera shop man says it is broken. (Some of its control don't work - so he is right.)
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I say just leave it how it is - I know how to use it.
More to the point, I love it.
(My real speciality is close up flower shots, especially Orchids and moths).
That why I post very few photos here.
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I have saved that quote for future reference.
Many thanks.
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Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
I love that Yellow Robin, he's very cute, Hev. The RB Tree Creeper was a bonus, too. Were they all taken at Grant's ? Keep chasing those Gang-gangs and you'll catch them one day. Check Birdline Vic for sightings so that you know whether they're moving through your part of the world.
Cheers,
George
Melbourne, VIC
You gotta love robins I reckon. Nice work.
See Yez
Trev
Hey George, I decided to explore a different part of Sherbrooke forest, there are lots of tracks through and I took one labelled 'hillclimb track'... hmmm guess that shoulda been a clue right? arrived at Sherbrooke waterfall (very pretty) puffin' and panting, and met a cheery soul not even out of breath, who told me I should have done the walk the other way round... just a gentle incline followed by steep downhill. "yes, thanks buddy...I'll remember that next time".
Was a bit disconcerting to find 'in emergency call 000 and qoute this reference number so emergency crew can locate you' strategically placed along the walk.
Birdline Vic? thanks George good tip, I can tell them where they're not haha.
Denis, yes your work is very interesting I often have a look on your website as well as Gelmirs and Stevehapp(gosh, I sound like a stalker!)...moths? do you have to photograph them at night?
Thanks bushanwater:)
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
hey Tassie, that's whats I find so cool about this site... you get to see species that you haven't seen before that other people post from all over Oz. What's that Italian saying?mi casa es su casa (my home is your home?) we should have one... "my back yard is your back yard mate!" :)
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Hi Heva
Yes, I leave the front porch light on and check the door and front porch walls for moths every night before I go to bed.
Flash and macro lens works a treat.
Mostly tiny little things, but sometimes i get quite big ones, which bash themselves silly against the windows (when I am blogging in the middle of the night).
Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
woo hoo, I have a stalker! :)
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Dennis,
I have been checking out your orchids. I love them.
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cheers,
steve
aha...I knew my admission would unveil other stalkers!
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Hi Hev
Don't tell Denis and Steve but I keep a close eye on them as well.....
Hey Denis, do you use a ring flash for your macro work?
Ed Townsville NQ
Hi Guys
We are in serious danger of going "off topic" here.
Moths, Orchids and now ring flashes.
Ed, the answer is no. I did buy a cheap LCD ring flash, but it was awful - it changed the colours to an extreme extent. It was very "blue" in tone.
For a long time I just used my built in pop-up flash, until it burnt out. Hardly surprising, as I use the flash in daylight to allow one to see inside the tiny flowers.
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Then I got a cheap manual flash, as my set-up with the teleconverter does not allow the camera to "read" the lens setting - what is known as "TTL - Through The Lens". Consequently, the proper flash devices will not work, as they are not able to read the required settings, (amount of flash burst to produce). So I got a cheap flash, which just works on "all or nothing" settings.
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It means I have to adjust the aperture ring on the Macro lens all the time. Lots of trial and error involved.
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To all the other "stalkers" out there, feel free to leave a comment on our Blogs - so that I and others being "stalked" know who is "watching".
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That way, we can then comment more, directly, and answer such questions, and not risk upsetting the BiBY people for going "off topic".
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Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
Thanks Steve for the comments.
It seems we all have stalkers.
Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com