Australian Pied Cormorant – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER doesn't mean I'm LOST

Back to School

May 14, 2025Posted in Altona, Australian Pied Cormorant, Australian Spotted Crake, Black-shouldered Kite, Blue-billed Duck, Flame Robin, Little Egret, Pied Oystercather, Red-kneed Dotterel, Sooty Oystercatcher, Willie WagtailTagged Black-shouldered Kite, Blue-billed Duck, Flame Robin, Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Pied Oystercatcher, Red-kneed Dotterel, Willie Wagtail3 Comments

Mr An Onymous dropped me an email, saying he had booked for a Wetlands Birds and Port Phillip bay Seminar complete with field trips. The event was for 10 Satuday mornings and trips to local areas to look for birds and the features of the seminar topic for that day.

So I booked. Thought I’d take the train down to the location as the talkfest was at a library quite near the station, and Mr An had offered to provide Uber support to get to the trip locations.

Fascinating few sessions that covered the history and development of the geology, geography, water systems and the like. Helped get a good picture of why some waders and migrants visit some spots and not otherr.
The area around the top end of the Bay has undergone signifcant housing and manufacturing development, and has to put it just blunty, been not very kind to the vast network of wetlands, swamps and backwaters in the area. Also fascinating has been some of the attempts to overdevelop the beach areas.
Credit also has to be given to the council and community groups and the research projects that have been conducted. Even if at times it seems that each group has both a different goal and plan to achieve their outcomes.

So with lots of numbers and ideas along with data about the areas flying around in my brain, we set off to visit the trip areas. Of course, not before, the necessary cuppa and bikkie to sustain us for the “Expotition” (Winnie the Pooh)

In all we visited 10 locations—didn’t find the North Pole
.One was opposite Mr An’s house and the last one was at Point Cook Coastal Park which is beginning to become our new ‘office’.

Here’s a sampling of the days outings.
Oh, and I did enjoy the clickyclack on the railway track as I’ve not been train bound for a number of years.

Enjoy

Saturday Evening Post #31 Evoking a Response

May 11, 2019Posted in Australian Pied Cormorant, Saturday Evening PostTagged Australian Pied Cormorant, Saturday Evening Post8 Comments

I had started on a journey for this post, through managing digital photos (digital assets—always important to use the right technical terms, so the masses know they are dealing with a well studied and knowledgable source.), but as it developed into a a bit of a rant, I thought something a little more lighthearted might be a better Evening Post.

Freeman Patterson once said, “A good photograph is one that clearly shows the character of the subject while revealing a little of the photographer’s response to it.”

Hard for us bird photographers sometimes and the bird is usually not the least concerned about allowing us any emotional response at a personal level, so we have to include that in other ways.
The placement in the frame, the isolation or inclusion of the surrounds, the pose of the creature, and the form, shape, tone and texture that we area able to achieve.

“If you think of a photograph in this way, you’ll find your personal direction, as a photographer emerging and becoming clearer”. And I’d add to that both to yourself, and those who view the photos.

“Coming to know yourself through interaction with someone or something is very satisfying. In the end you get the picture, of both of you.”

Which somehow gets me on the beach with the light changing over a Pied Cormorant. A fairly tolerant bird at best, so its not to hard to work with them. But I’m on the wrong side with the light, the background is bland and the bird stoic if nothing else.

Risking putting the bird to air, I moved until the backdrop was at least neutral, and about the same time, a sliver of light came out, the bird turned and I pressed the shutter.

I often gain as much from just sitting or standing and watching the bird in its own world. Little character traits become obvious—here the foot folded up under the tummy. Other times it is just a matter of waiting until all the elements come together. I may make a photograph, or I may not, but the fact that I can observe, see, apply visual design and appreciate the bird’s life for its own sake, enables me to remain fully relaxed for the moment.