A few weeks ago I finished early on a Friday afternoon and went down to Lake Samsonvale via the cemetery on Goldscrub Lane (5 mins from my place) just to see what was about.
I have to say I have never seen it that low. There were almost more birds than water. . . well not quite, but there were a lot of birds.
Here are just a few I managed to snap. There were a lot of Pelicans, Cormorants and Darters way over the other side but nothing close enough to photograph.
Sorry its a bit photo heavy. I hope you don't mind.
A Covert of Coots - This is just a couple of Coot Coverts that were on the lake, there were literally hundreds of them.
This one was looking ver daper in his technicolour coat - Straw-Necked Ibis
A few of these around as well but very flighty. This one stayed long enough for me to get a few shots of the lovely sheen before he few off. I have never noticed the white lines on the face before. Not sure if this is because it is in breeding plumage or not.
A few of the Locals flew by - White-Faced Heron, Intermediate Egret & Whiskered Tern
A Scattering of young Egrets on emu Parade looking for food
One of the many small Springs of Teal that flew by the afternoon.
There were a few of these White-Headed Stilts that were unusually flighty and just wouldn't shut up. They would continue to fly close and bark consistantly, which scared a lot of other birds off.
This is why they were soo noisy. There were a few of these young ones around but the parents scared all the others away. This little one was not phased by me at all. The parent was probably yelling at the kid not me and in typical kid fashion it was ignoring the parent.
The Highlight for me was this little one (Red-Capped Plover). I caught something out of the corner of my eye and saw this cheeky little just on fron tof me. I lay down to get a better composition of him and he just kept his eye on me.
Thanks, these are great, that last one is beautiful, but what is it please? I don't think i have ever seen a White Faced Heron in flight before.
elizabeth
Great set of shots .... i love those two ibis photos, sun was in nice position to bring out the colour in their feathers
Great shots Devo. Like the Ibis shots in particular. Good days work mate!
Great set as always Dev, have to also agree about the two Ibis shots, great catch
Dont take life too seriously, it never ends well
Thanks Elizabeth. The last one is a Red-Capped Plover. I have added this on the post now.
Some great shots here Devon. Your post production skills have improved a lot. I haven't been down to the Lake for ages which is a shame considering what a great spot it is and how dramatic the changes in the weather have on the local bird life. The last couple of days heavy rain will make a huge difference to the lake. My water tanks are over flowing already and it's forecast for more rain for the rest of the week. Bring it on!
Samford Valley Qld.
Thanks Reflex, that means a lot to me. I'd be happy to head down there over the coming weekend with you if its not raining.
Ditto what John says re PP Devon, great work. Of course you have to get the shots in the first place and you have done wonderfully well. Great set of birds and what a variety.
Thanks Ricks. That also means a lot to me as I love your photography!
Wow I'd never have guessed a young Black-winged Stilt looked like that! Love the last one too and would love to see a Glossy
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
Thanks Ryu, I didn't realise either. While I was taking the photos I was trying to rack my brain as to what they were. Then when I got home it dawned on me. I asked for some clarification and sure enough, a young White-Headed Stilt.