David Jenkins

Off to a Flying Start

January 4, 2017January 4, 2017Posted in Birdsaspoetry, Black-shouldered Kite, Jacky Winter, Photographic Seeing, Red-capped Robin, Sacred Kingfisher, Straited Pardalote, Tree Martin, White-plumed HoneyeaterTagged Red-capped Robin, White-plumed Honeyeater4 Comments

Haven’t been in the doldrums. It’s just that there is so many things happening.
Been enjoying Mike over at The Online Photographer See here for “When things Go Wrong”. http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2016/12/things-go-wrong.html
Go on, have a look, you deserve a smile. Especially the comment on alarm clocks that don’t turn off!

Been meandering through Julieanne Kost’s “Passenger Seat” folio book. Julieanne is a product evangelist for Adobe Lightroom, (and having been one of them product evangellies in me time, I am a bit sympathetic to start with),
But Julieanne is quite a creative, and very visually expressive photographer. As she says in the introduction, “meeting with others continually opens my eyes to what’s possible.” and that is why we share stuff I guess.

Continue reading “Off to a Flying Start” →

News Flash: Important Update: Tale of a Wagtail A revisit

December 22, 2016Posted in Werribee River Park, Willie WagtailTagged Werribee River Park, Willie Wagtail3 Comments

Took a stroll tonight to look for the little lone Wagtail of my previous post. A bit harder to find as its well on the wing.

So turned to go back for a fine cuppa of Earl of Grey with EE, my favourite person.

As I passed by the old tree that had held the nest, I stopped just to see how dilapidated it would have become in the past few days.

Double take Time !!!

Was that a tail I saw on the nest. Stop, rub eyes, look again.

Yes.
She has added a new coat of web to the nest, set up the wide-screen tv, remodelled the Kitchen, and laid eggs and was about to do her part for Wagtail lineage.

In what must be about the fastest turn-around between clutches, this lady means business. No doubt they’ve figured that one can sit the eggs, while one administers the young fledgling to maturity.

And if the nest worked once. Well!!!
This time I refrained from yelling my best advice across the paddock to her. Including the fact the next few days are going to be in the high 30s C. I don’t think she considers it good wagtail advice.

Time will tell how it all goes.

Nicely setteled in. The next addtion to the family is on the way. Persistence and Patience have your way.

The Tale of a Wagtail

December 20, 2016December 20, 2016Posted in Werribee River Park, Werribee WagtailsTagged The Office, Werribee River Park, Willie Wagtail4 Comments

When it comes to nesting and bringing on a new clutch, Willie Wagtails seem to go from one extreme to another, in more ways than one.
The weather can take a turn and dash the plans of quite a number of nesting pairs. And around the Werribee River area at the Office, they all seem to start within a day or two of each other and a change of weather takes out most of the nests. That has happened once already this season.
Plucky little birds, just shake off the wet feathers, take a wagtail deep breath and start again.

Continue reading “The Tale of a Wagtail” →

Training up the Kids

December 9, 2016December 13, 2016Posted in Black-shouldered Kite, Werribee River ParkTagged Black-shouldered Kite12 Comments

Now that Kitty and Kalev-the Brave, have their two young on the wing things get a bit more interesting.
Learning to be a Black-shouldered Kite is not a copy book exercise. There are lots of practical things to be considered as they develop not only their wing power, but also their ability to read the wind, find mice, learn to hunt, how to hover, and the myraid other things that are needed to make a Black-shouldered Kite successful.
Among those things are off course the ability to sit very quietly and unobtrusively on a perch. The thinner the better it seems.

Continue reading “Training up the Kids” →

An Afternoon at Red-capped Robin Nursery

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016Posted in Red-capped Robin, Woodlands Historic ParkTagged Red-capped Robin, Woodlands Historic Park6 Comments

Astute reader that you are, and having followed along from the beginning of this blog, will recall that I originally all those years back set it up to document the comings and goings of Red-capped Robins at Woodlands Historic Park.
As the years have gone, things have changed, and among them of course, our move away from the area.
So when we travel back that way we are more or less tourists.

Where once we had a fine almost family familiarity with a number of Red-capped Robin pairs, and were as familiar with each of their territories as they were, today we are just interlopers in their front yard.

Continue reading “An Afternoon at Red-capped Robin Nursery” →

A Little Wag Tale

November 25, 2016November 25, 2016Posted in Werribee River Park, Willie WagtailTagged Werribee River Park, Willie Wagtail6 Comments

Over the past few weeks along the river area at Werribee River Park, (The Office), we’ve been waiting for the Willie Wagtails to get into their nesting season.
Normally quick off the rank for a bout of nesting, the Wagtails around The Office seem to have been particularly slow in making the first move.
Not that I blame them, as about 8 pairs we worked with last year, built a nest early, and were washed out with rain. They rebuilt, only to have a second storm cell come though about a fortnight later and once again wash them off the branches. After a couple of weeks they started again, and as luck would have it, a third storm ripped through and again devastated their efforts. By the fourth clutch, we were well into summer and most seemed to raise this round. At one stage there were over 30 young juveniles all flitting about together as mum and dad worked on a fifth clutch.

This year, they seem to have taken the approach: Wait till the storm season is behind us.

And about two weeks back, we were thrilled to hear the nesting call of as many as 8-10 pairs as they worked away building in various locations from highly concealed among the leaves, to desperate, out in the open. Nothing is going to get us.
But.

Continue reading “A Little Wag Tale” →

Taking a bit of a drive for Pardalote Parenting

November 20, 2016November 20, 2016Posted in Guildford, Newstead, Straited PardaloteTagged Guildford, Guildford General Store, Newstead, Striated Pardalote6 Comments

Spoke to Mr An Onymous and suggested that we might like to do a day trip up to see the Rainbow Bee-eaters working in the creek-line at the Newstead Cemetery.
The promise of a pie from the Guildford General Store sort of clinched the deal, and we found a day that looked promising weather wise and planned accordingly.

Best light in to the creek-line would be late afternoon as my Mum’s “Keep the Sun over your Left Shoulder, Dear!” would be just the ticket.

Phoned Guilford General to ensure that they would have a pie in the warmer for us, and chose a Lamb Rogan Josh and a Chicken Kashmiri as the likely candidates. “All good to go,” says Emily. We then packed the gear and headed up.

Continue reading “Taking a bit of a drive for Pardalote Parenting” →

An easy day out

October 28, 2016October 28, 2016Posted in Birdsaspoetry, Crested Pigeon, Pacific Gull, Point Cook, Sacred Kingfisher, Yellow-tailed Black CockatooTagged Crested Pigeon, Magpie-lark, Point Cook Coastal Park, Sacred Kingfisher4 Comments

Friend of mine once said in conversation as we chatted about my time in the bush, “Bird photography is pretty easy, you just sit in a deckchair and photograph any birds that happen to come by.” And today, for once, he was right. Thanks for the advice John.

Mr An Onymous had looked at the weather maps, the weather forecasts, the icon ladies and I guess in the end, just plain looked out the window, and declared we should take a trip to Point Cook Coastal Park on Friday. Sounded good as we’d not been out that way since the end of the Flame Robin season, most of the birds were well on their way back by mid of September.

Meet you down there, and so we did.

Continue reading “An easy day out” →

With Werribee Wagtails at Goschen

October 23, 2016November 22, 2016Posted in Goschen, Hooded Robin, Owlet Nightjar, Rainbow Bee Eater, Rufous SonglarkTagged Goschen, Hooded Robin, Owlet Nightjar, Rainbow Bee Eater4 Comments

The Goschen Bushland Reserve outside Lake Boga, is renowned among bird obsevers as one of the true ‘honeyspots’ in the Mallee.
Little did I know as a young kid, riding my bike around the area, that I’d be back so many years later to spend time photographing the birds of the area.

We had travelled up to enjoy the BirdLife Werribee—aka Werribee Wagtails— camp out in Swan Hill. Of course one of the spots to visit was Goschen.

On the way up, one of the relatives had informed us, “Goschen now has been fenced off.” or words to that effect, and it sounded as though access was restricted. I had visions of a 3 metre chainwire fence all around the area. And huge gates with those big padlocks that Parks Vic. seems to be able to produce for such occasions.

Continue reading “With Werribee Wagtails at Goschen” →

Spending an afternoon in the Sunshine with Eloise

October 17, 2016October 17, 2016Posted in Uncategorized3 Comments

We’ve been away up the family acres.

So not much local bird photography from us. However stay tuned as I slowly get a week’s worth of shots sorted out.
We went up for the annual Birdlife Werribee, (formerly Werribee Wagtails) camp out.

As we unpacked in the early afternoon, the warmth of the sunshine was a bit too much to ignore and we decided by unanimous vote to “Go to the Office, and see how the Black-shouldered Kite pair were doing”.

Go to page here

When the Only Thing You can do is to Stand in Awe

September 20, 2016September 21, 2016Posted in Uncategorized, Werribee River ParkTagged Nikon 1 V3, Osprey, Werribee River Park9 Comments

Full-Contact Nature Sport

We had taken a run to The Office in the late afternoon. Mostly just to check on the progress of Kitty and Kalev-the Brave.

And as the evening sunshine warmed us against the chill of the wind, down the river flat, in the crisp golden light a steady wing beat carried at quite breathtaking speed, an Osprey. Actually by now I suppose it should be “the Osprey”.

Continue reading “When the Only Thing You can do is to Stand in Awe” →

The Cycle of Life: Spring Forces at Work

September 18, 2016September 18, 2016Posted in Uncategorized3 Comments

The weather has kept us at home. Grey skies are one thing, but cold, damp, wind-driven rain is a force to be reckoned with. And inspite of Drizabone, there still has to be enough light bring some decent exposure rates.
So. Home it is.

I was under the pergola, working with the Nikon 1 focusing variations, and noted our local female Blackbird going over the fence with a beakful of building material. She stopped long enough on one trip that I managed to get a reasonable shot of her at work. “So,” thought I, “She must have a nest going in somewhere nextdoor.”

About an hour later, however I saw a Blackbird with head up and lots of wing flapping, and I reached for the camera, thinking it was probably a juvenile that was begging for food.

Continue reading “The Cycle of Life: Spring Forces at Work” →

Graced by an Osprey at The Office

September 14, 2016September 14, 2016Posted in The Office, Werribee River ParkTagged Nikon 1 V3, Osprey, The Office, Werribee River Park11 Comments

We have had some rain. 70mm in 3 days, the gauge says.
And, this morning, I set out for my weekly Tia Chi class. Start of a new semester, so I was pretty excited about getting back to class. And at 8:00am, as I was getting ready, the rain, was, well, sheeting down. So any ideas of spending a few hours with the birds at The Office, were not even a glimmer of hope. But a we settled into such routines as “Waving hands like Clouds”, “White Crane Cools Wings”, and “Monkey offers a Peach”, it was possible to glimpse a shaft of brilliant sunshine making an appearance through the clouds. By the time we paused for a break, it was definitely bright sunshine warming me though the window, and stirring the possibilities of a chance to venture out in the early afternoon.

EE soon agreed and we headed out right after lunch. To my despair, the road into The Office, was waterlogged. And we picked our way along through the water, and the puddles and the inevitable mud pools. On arrival at the carpark, Kitty and Kalev were nowhere to be seen, and despite looking for a while, we still were Kiteless. So we wandered down to the river area.
Which as it turns was a great move.

Continue reading “Graced by an Osprey at The Office” →

New Work at The Office

September 12, 2016September 12, 2016Posted in Black-shouldered Kite, The Office, Werribee River ParkTagged Black-shouldered Kite, The Office, Werribee River Park8 Comments

Toward the end of last year, a pair of Black-shouldered Kites— we named them Kitty and Kalev-the Brave— set up and successfully fledged three young.

Well, they are back! Or so it seems. Of course they could be completely different birds, but given their relaxed and settled manner, and the way they interact, I’d be pretty certain that we are looking at Kitty and Kalev-the Brave.

Continue reading “New Work at The Office” →