Anyone affected by drought? Drizabone here in gympie, qld, so camping by a billabong can bring rewards:
Lewins honeyeater
Silver eye
red back wren
| Term and Conditions | Privacy Statement | Web Support by Gaia Resources Hosted by Serversaurus |  |
| Term and Conditions | Privacy Statement | Web Support by Gaia Resources Hosted by Serversaurus | |
Superb shots of some beautiful species !!!
great pics
Peter
Wonderful series of photos here, looks like you got rewarded for your patience and waited near the creek / waterhole as they came to have a drink or bath. I especially like the lighting you got of the Lewins, nice.
Regards
Shane
Beautiful pics. Thank you for sharing.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
Very nice shots. How lucky you were to be in the right place to see them.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Absolutely beautiful rabiroadie, I particularly like the Lewins , but would love to know how you get a Red Back FW to pose so close for you llike that .
Never seen any of your work here before..... are you a new member? Excellent work anyway and thank you for sharing it
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Thanks everyone. Birdie i work from a birdhide, the red back wrens come by for a drink but they are very twitchy and skittish, the camera struggles with focus on them as well. The hot dry weather is a good time for me to photograph these elusive small birds, just a matter of waiting in the birdhide for them to come by.
I struggle with staying still long enough in one place (as M-L detected the other day when we were walking). Although if there's activity I'm content to stay as long as possible. I often wonder what others do in a birdhide all by themselves while waiting, waiting, waiting. How do you stop from being fidgety? Says me who is hyperactive I'm sure!
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
wish i didn't shake and have a camera to get pics like these.
beautiful thank you 4 posting george.
Very nice shots.
Well, congratulations on your patience and endurance to be able to sit still and hidden that long. it obviously pays off with the results we see here. it makes me feel better to know that in order to achieve this kind of shot, you really do have to be hidden and quiet and in the right spot .... I tend to be hyper as well Kathie and with a limited attention span. I am not too agile either these days so I crash easily and make a lot of annoying noise when I shouldn't , I tend to fall over easily and get out of balance if I am crouching or trying to appear low!!!
Come to think of it roadie.... I was at a friend's place in Glenwood just out of Gympie a few years ago, and it was very hot and dry. The dried up end of the waterhole where there was a little trickle of water and mud and a lot of cover had heaps of RBFW and Double Barred finches. I guess looking back at my shots, that if I had have had technique and a hide then I could have got some superb shots. My bird photography is the result of opportunism usually, but your shots have inspired me to try harder.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
lol birdie, you had me laughing. I had an accident last December because I was out seeking some Powerful Owls. I tend to be very careful now about my footing as I really don't want to be off my feet again for many months. Once was enough. Plus I'm a little unsure of my footing now so do take it carefully. I like your thought about opportunism. Much of mine is too, although once I get to know a spot I'll return to it time and again to get better shots.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Well kathie I do end up laughing at myself at times, especially when I find it hard to get up again . SInce being ill last year I am on medication which makes movements more restricted and some days I feel l ike an 80 yr old.... the mind is very willing to scramble up and down banks after shots but the body just can't keep up ! Come to think of it a bird hide would be an easier way for me I guess. My daughter has a little tent that from memory is a khaki colour..I should start converting it maybe ?
That brings me to another question Roadie .... what focal length were you using so I know how close the hide was to the subjects, as unfortunately I have nothing longer than 300ml in my kit still .
Thanks heaps
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Where's the like button???? Birdie I love you! You would be such fun to go on birding trips with.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
You'd have to come to Queensland Kathie
, glad you appreciate a good laugh .... it is all based on true experiences though !!!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Yes, well, I'm always happy to do a bit of travel
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
My subjects are around 1.5 - 2 meters distance. My hide is permanent on my place, the water hole is man made and kept topped up. The birds have been using it for many years, and i also throw plenty of seed around to attract the finches and manikins, so i never have to wait long on hot days. I use a pansonic fz150 for close work with small birds, - its silent in operation.
Managed to snap a rare visitor here today, a white naped honeyeater:
Amazing, I knew the FZ150 was a good camera but these are just off the scale for something like a superzoom .... your hide is one of the reasons and your close proximity to the subjects!!! You have blown me away with these and the White naped HE is beautiful!
Congratulations on both technique and ability with gear that the average person can afford ... Does the FZ150 have a through the lens vewfinder or do you have to use the LCD screen? ( sorry to bombard you with all these questions but it is really interesting to me to see this kind of result from a super zoom ...kudos to Panasonic)
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
AWESOME!!! I've just told my husband I want to build a bird hide on our property. Never even thought to do that! How big is the water hole? Can you show us pics of what you've done? I'm excited!
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Those birds look like they're looking right at your camera. Great shots.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
I built my hides out of a roll of fencing wire, then covered it in black plastic weedmat, then hessian over the top. If it is in the sun you will need insulation. I anchor them to the ground with star pickets otherwise they will blow away on a windy day, - they can be dragged around.
My best one is in a fixed position with a pit dug in the ground so i can get down to ground level with the camera. Simple water dishes a few twigs for the birds to land on is all that is needed. Shade in summer helps. Dense shelter shrubs nearby for the birds to dive into helps.
Treat the area like a mini studio, work out your lighting and backgrounds etc. Change it around according to the seasons. It can take a few months for the birds to take to it, - put some food out there to attract them. A lot of trial and error to work out what is best in your local area.
Very informative roadie thanks, of course the council may have something to say if i start digging pits etc on their land.... I am not fortunate enough to own any land that is conducive to such a thing. I do knwo of an artist friend that lives on 12 acres in Bli Bli and has heaps of bush and lots of small birdlife...you have me thinking now, maybe I could investigate and find somewhere to put something up there..... she may appreciate it for observing for painting...who knows?
Hmmm food for thought indeed , thanks Roadie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Great, great ideas. Thank you so much for sharing. A new project for me
I'm clapping my hands as there are no clapping hands avatas here. We have about a half acre or so of bushland which will be ideal. The rest of our property is the house, lawns and a tennis court and gardens. We do have a pergola on the lawns and birds often come to that as we have a feeder there and birdbath near it but I suspect we get a lot of birdlife in the bushland that doesn't come up to the lawns.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
What a great idea for someone who has a bit of land. Your shots are wonderful and you must have alot of patience. Hope to see more of your shots. Kathie sounds like hubbie will be kept busy for a while lol. BIrdie if your friend is up to it wouldnt it be wonderful to be able to go somewhere and just sit and wait for them to come to you.
Great ideas, rabidroadie, & wonderful shots.
Rather than artificially feed the birds to attract them to your hide have you thought of providing their natural habitat around the hide? This would provide them with natural food & therefore reduce the risk to their health potentially caused by artificial feeding. It would also make them more independent in their food gathering.