Because it was such a fine sunny morning we thought we’d meander over to Heathdale Glen Orden and have a ‘trail run’ for a bird survey we are going to do in a week.
Some kind folk turned up, David Nice and Andrew T from the Altona area and it was good to see friendly faces.
I’d concocted a plan that would hopefully give the photographers a good view should the birds break out that way, and also to give a maximum of coverage of the ponds without zig-zagging about.
We managed a good tally of birds and it augers well for the real count next week
When I looked at the shots, I found I’d managed to get a short burst of a bird moderately close and it shows the amazing wing action, so thought I’d share it for interest.
If I can get WordPress to do a Slideshow, I’ll put that at the end so you can get an idea of the changes in action
Click on Arrows to move through images.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
T’was indeed a good morning, David. And the numbers were great.
A splendid series of images showing the wing motion.
And indeed a morning that amped up my enthusiasm again, for that I thank you!
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Glad to catch up. Birding can be very much a lonesome activity, but it doesn’t have to be lonely.
We’ll keep doing it until we get it right
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Gorgeous captures David you are so blessed to see these little guys so close and without running to hide. These are some of the best pics I have seen of this birds, though we are yet to see one as you have. Likewise love the contrast of you fav shot also.
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Greeting Ashley, These birds are a little difficult as there is no ‘barrier’ open area between bird and observer like there is at a lake or tidal pool. So we are either looking at grasses and reeds or putting them to flight (which goes against my grain, as I’d rather work with them without stress).
The little wetland is pretty special in that the water only covers it a few centimetres (except in flood), and it spreads out a long way from the main internal channel.
It’s one of those places that I wish I had much more time to study, wait to see them on the ground, but regrettably the options are limited.
Glad you like the shots, I lucked as instead of flying away, it pulled in close and ran off to my left just above head height. The camera grabbed focus and the rest… was easy
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Great study of motion. We invade, birds get up and move. Cant always be helped but at least in this case we have a decent outcome. Nice little swamp you have to splash in and study. I always wonder what’s under our toes.
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G’day, yeah the nice point here is that I managed to get it in the viewfinder almost from Jump. The D500 did the rest.
It is not a high volume wetlands for other birds. Essentially it’s a water retarding basin, so a lot of reeds, and grasses, not much chance to see anything other than by climbing in. The few pools that are open, don’t have shallow edges so its a few ducks and the like.
If it weren’t for the Snipe, I’d only visit very occasionally on the way to somewhere else.
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A lovely series of shots David. This is a bird I have seen only two or three times, and have completely missed getting in the viewfinder! Maybe one day …
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Hello Eleanor,
And here we are a week later, and the number has dropped to less than a dozen birds. They are already heading up to Queensland for the leap to Japan, hope they packed rubber rafts in their ports.
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Good luck to them.
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