Category: Saturday Evening Post

Saturday Evening Post: Lenses

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Year ago, I had the chance to work with a Canadian, who, among other things, in the days before the worldwide web, and social media, used to create and present training programmes.
One such, carried the title, “Len’s Love” As his name was, Len, it seemed appropriate.
But, of course, his real intent was on the use of lenses and their impact on the photographic process and result.
Fascinating, as he treated the photo journey as one of his great loves.

I have over the years owned, used and had access to a wide range of lenses. Some, and if you want a list, the Nikkor 43-86mm f/3.5 would be at the top of the very ordinary, bordering on not particularly good. Funnily enough, my dear Dad, had a fondness for that particular lens and its ‘soft’ peculiarities. ( I acquired one, some years back, simply for sentimental reasons)

When I began bird photography seriously, I did manage to track down and purchase, a Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens. This lens was sharp. Well balanced and although manual focus, such a pleasure to use. I made a whole Nankeen Kestrel nesting series with that lens. Another lens that I’d like to refind. Just for sentimental reasons.
Here’s one from that series with the lens. (Camera for the interested was a Nikon D200)

This is my branch

Of more recent times many will know, from Flickr, that my workhorse has been a Nikkor 500mm, f/5.6 PF. I published a blog on my experiences with that lens here.

And all was going well until the other day, when for some reason, the lens began to have focusing problems. It would work ok on closeups like Robins on a post, but could not focus at more distant subject. (Manually it did work, so I struggled through the day)
I’ve owned the lens since 2019, and as it has been used, hard, a couple of times a week, and has worn out a D810 and a D500, I guess it has had a good run.
Can’t tell how many 100s of thousands of frames, but my boy-scout math would suggest between 200,500 to 300,000.

So I guess it does deserve a bit of a break. The kind lens doctors at Digicam in Adelaide took it into their lens hospital, and I look forward to its return. The report was the lens was in excellent condition, other than the need to replace a couple of electrical components that had failed.
Just gotta wait for parts.

Gave me a chance to immerse myself in the wide world of mirrorless cameras and lenses. However the end result of that is I’ll be looking forward to the return of the 500 PF as it’s rapid focus on the D500 is not matched in my experience by the mirrorless system. Perhaps I’m just biased.

Here are several of my fav images from the Lens.
Chosen because they were all ‘grab’ shots, where I pointed the lens and hoped for the best. The speed of focus, and the D500 ‘terrier-like’ af did the rest.

Enjoy.

White-bellied Sea eagle. The bird has just flown over the tops of the trees and was about to disappear behind another.
We were facing the other way, when a ruckus behind made me turn around to see the young Pacific Gull trying to steal a meal.
The Pink Robin, landed on the branch, turned and then dropped to the ground.

Saturday Evening Post: Being There

Posted in Saturday Evening Post, Spotted HarrierTagged , 3 Comments

Sometimes photographing birds is a bit of a hit or miss opportunity.

Methinks I’ve written on that subject a few times before.
We have over the past few weeks, on occasions, spotted a Spotted Harrier. It is most likely one that was in our area about 3 years ago. It has a distinctive ‘notch’ out of one wing.
Spotted Harriers master huge territories. So it’s not unusual to go for sometime without sighting them.
Several years ago, a pair was in residence behind the Avalon Airport and were among a number of birds, Falcons, Black-shouldered Kites and Kestrels that worked the surrounding paddocks. Dr Hollands in his revised book on Australian Raptors has both good information and photos from the time.

Currently this bird seems to be working over many of the paddocks that stretch along the western side of Port Phillip. We’ve been able to find it in places as much as 20km apart (It’s distinctive wing notch is helpful in id)

The other morning as we were settling in to look at a new pair of Kites that also have recently turned up. Off in the distance, an large shape flicked and dived across the field. It was a very windy morning, and we’d already had qualms about being out in a forested area in case one of the trees should tumble or shed a large branch.
We thought at first by the colouring it was a Brown Falcon, but then as it worked along a fence line, the unmistakeable shape, led to EE calling, “Spotted Harrier” Too far for photos, but simply amazing to watch the huge wings carry the bird at speed against the prevailing wind.

We then ventured along a track through the trees away from IamGrey, and way across the paddock through the gaps in the treeline, we saw it heading in our general direction. Too many trees, too much undergrowth, it was going to be hard to get it cutting across the field. And now with the wind behind, the speed had ramped up too.
Suddenly it was through the first line of the trees, out across the paddock around some bushes, that lifting, falling, sliding flight giving it full view of anything on the ground.
Then it turned back toward our area, and like a magician with a rabbit in a hat, it disappeared.

“It had to have gone down into the grass”, was the cry.

How do you sneak up on a Spotted Harrier? Not a lot of books, or websites or social media posts overflowing with good answers to that question. (I wonder why?)

Abandoning our somewhat inactive Kites, we ‘crept’ through the treeline, realising as soon as we saw the bird, it would be gone.
But, as they say.
We spotted it, on a old downed tree. A murder of rather annoyed and raucous Ravens, must have caused it to stop for safety sake.
We edged past another downed tree, and had a clearer view. No point in trying to ‘get closer’ as a fence was in the way.
Still, the bird, to its credit, stood its ground. The sunlight cascaded across the scene and behind the old tree, it was safe from Ravens, humans and the strong wind.

It sat for around 5 minutes or so. To the hardly breathing photographers, it seemed more like 5 hours.
Then those big wings, lifted, and as I’d put the camera down because my arms were aching, I could only watch as it sailed back into the breeze, across the paddock and was gone.

Enjoy

Saturday Night Post: So Near…yet…So Far

Posted in Saturday Evening Post, White-bellied Sea-eagleTagged , 2 Comments

Over the past few weeks, an adult White-bellied Sea-eagle has occasionally been patrolling along the beach area on the top end of Port Phillip along the western shores.
Almost always with a young bird tagging along. There is a good chance, as chances go, that this is the pair that we saw preparing to nest in the Western Treatment Plant last year.

There are a number of Umbrella Pines that surround the old (first) homestead of the Chirnsides. The old trees must provide a wonderful view over the surrounding bay and beaches.

We had been working our way along the beach, on what was a particularly quiet day on the water. Only a handful of ducks and a few swans, with some cormorants snoozing away on the old pier and rocks.

We turned a corner on the bay, and there was the unmissable shape of a Sea-eagle in one of the pines.

So the challenge.
Do we work along the beach, out of sight of the birds, to get to a spot where if they flew—and flew in our direction—we’d have some close views.
Or.
Do we work our way inland through the trees to get a closer, and clearer view.

And then with a turn of wing, the bird launched and slipped through the trees further away from the beach.

With absolute precise timing, every bird—cormorant, duck, oystercatcher and the like, took to wing in a flurry of feathers and the loud sound of wings beating the air. The swans.—they continued as if nothing had happened.

Our challenge was now doubled at least.
The beach option seemed the most likely, I’m sure being able to ‘sneak up’ on a Sea-eagle, would be as difficult as approaching a Swamp Harrier, so we decided to see if we could get line-of-sight further along the beach.

As it happened both birds were sitting on an old dead pine, and we managed a clear view. But it was a case of so near. Yet. So far.

We were about to continue on along the beach, when, both birds took to wing, and were gone from view. We discovered a few minutes later that some photographer friends, had been near the tree and had moved to get a closer look.

So near…

A view through the trees. The concerned look on the adult bird is apparent.

Saturday Evening Post: Attached

Posted in Saturday Evening PostTagged 4 Comments

I know I said there would be an Exposed Part 02. But not this post.

Had the good fortune the other evening to venture into the wilds of Melbourne’s night life to attend the opening of a photo-exhibition.

This was a range of work from first year students at a photo college. Lots of interesting views of how the world is perceived through ‘new’ eyes. Armed with the catalogue it was interesting to look at the eclectic mixture of images and to see how each photographer’s style was noticeable once I’d seen several from their work on display.

And how they were each dealing with the ‘Language of Images”. Like learning a new language, the grammar, if you will, of the visual vocabulary is not always a simple process. Some grasp it easily, while others are more interested in the feel or the mood of the moment.

It reminded me of the way we explored things when very young. The open pots and pans cupboard in the kitchen made for many a happy hour, both experimenting with the items, and the noises they made as they were clanked and banged together.

Yet after a time, as we grew older, they became, well, boring.

As photographers we can bring that sort of viewing into our pictures. Photographing only what appeals to our habit of casual seeing. Photographing things we thought should be photographed as we’d seen such pictures in magazines or posters.

Dissatisfied with the results, these days we turn to yet another tweak of the sliders, or download the 2,507th “Preset” from some hawker of such things on the internet. This one guaranteed to ” Give an unique style with just a few clicks”, and “save time and effort” ((And of course save the necessary step of getting it right in the first place ))

And yet, as someone once told me, “A photograph succeeds for one reason. It was well seen.” (John Harris in conversation)

This morning in my email, I received from Heron Dance Art Studio, a quote that has had me thinking most of the day, and it seemed helpful in pondering the “Art of Seeing’.

Here tis

The sound of the waters is audible to every ear, but there is other music in these hills, by no means audible to all. To hear even a few notes of it you must first live here for a long time, and you must know the speech of hills and rivers. … Then you may hear it –- a vast pulsing harmony –- its score inscribed on a thousand hills, its notes the lives and deaths of plants and animals, its rhythms spanning the seconds and the centuries.
– Aldo Leopold, Sand Country Almanac

We have been a little spoilt and grateful of late as we have several territories of Black-shouldered Kites to work in. One pair are mere juveniles, still finding their way. One is a long term bonded pair, readying perhaps to nest when the conditions are right. Several others are, I suspect, just wintering over because the food sources are plentiful.

This one has claimed a roadside solar panel set as its perching preference.

Enjoy, and keep Seeing. There is so much to see. 🙂

Saturday Evening Post: Exposed (Part #01)

Posted in Saturday Evening PostTagged 9 Comments

Sounds ominous doesn’t it. (Part #01). What started off as a quick small post, rapidly grew to be a treatise, and despite the best editing efforts, it still seemed to loom somewhere between “Romeo and Juliet” and “War and Peace”.

Easy squeezy. We’ll have a couple of them.

Ever since the days when Nicéphore Niépce made the first photograph, back in 1826, (and as it turns there is all sorts of disputes about who, when, where, but—Nicéphore is still my man!) exposure has been a hot topic for photographers.
Poor old Nicéphore had to expose his image for about 8 Hours. (no record that I can find tells of the f/stop used). Here is an interesting link to view the result.
I guess the one thing he didn’t have trouble with was getting shadow detail, as the sun moved over the buildings the shadows were bathed in sunlight at some point. How easy is that.
It should also be noted, and I’m sure it’s obvious, Nicéphore did not make bird inflight his first experiment. 🙂

Since then the conversations have always been, “So what exposure settings do you use?” In the forlorn hope of finding just the right way to make every exposure perfect.

A couple of emails from a blog I follow, by Tony Whitehead from New Zealand touched on the subject in some detail, so I’l not clutter up the web by repeating it.

See here for How Crucial is it to get Correct Exposure
And Maximising Dynamic Range for Backlit Subjects

For those that follow the “Expose to the Right” ETTR model, Tony’s explanations are about as succinct as you can get.

The concept of ETTR was first brought to light (pun intended) by Thomas Knoll, (he of the creator of Photoshop and Camera Raw decoder), and Michael Reichmann (the creator/owner of Luminous Landscapers website) while they were on a photo-tour of Iceland in 2003 Interested? See here.
The concept as Tony outlines is that about half of the exposure detail is in the brightest stop on the righthand side of the histogram —Please bear in mind that when Thomas and Michael built this model, most digital cameras had at best about a 5 stop dynamic range.

Fast forward to the present, and we find people making images that seem almost to the point of overexposed and then sliding sliders in the White, and Highlight ares of their chosen software package to bring back the details in those white areas of the subject. In my case, the bird.

And now that AI is being built into products such as Topaz Photo AI and DXO Photolab and their PureRaw, and more recently from Gentleman Coders, Nitro. the need for ‘correct exposure’ is going to become a very “Fuzzy” (computer speak there), term.

The one thing that does, however need to be remembered is no matter how clever the software, no matter how many sliders, or layers are used, nor how the exposure was determined, the one constant in all this,

Is,
How much light was falling on the subject at the time of the exposure.
As Engineer Scotty, says to Captain Kirk of the Enterprise, in the TV series, “Starwars”, “Ye cannae change the laws of physics Jim!”

Which seems like a good time to move on to the photo of the week. 🙂

This pair are back together again. He had been waiting patiently for about 6 weeks or more, as she had disappeared from the paddock. I was almost convinced she had moved on to a new territory as normally she only takes a few weeks break after the young fledge. He had resolutely stayed.

When I saw this happening, I initially thought she had encouraged him to mate, but she didn’t react—note her tail tucked securely against the fence post
So I think, he might have been hoping she would move off the post, and he could pick up any scraps that were left over from her previous meal. She had caught and consumed a rat (ratus ratus). A much larger meal than the usual mouse and at one point I though she might choke getting it down.
She didn’t accept his proposal, nor did she lift off to give him access to the post.
Marital bliss in Black-shouldered Kite land.

1/3000th of a second, f/6.7 at ISO 400. Nicéphore would be impressed

Enjoy…… I wonder what part #02 will be?

Saturday Evening Post: Sitting Pretty

Posted in Nankeen Kestrel, Saturday Evening PostTagged , 10 Comments

“Life,” said Helen Keller, “is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing.”

Picasso is reported to have said, when asked if he knew what his painting would look like before he even put paint on the canvas, replied, “No, of course not. If I knew, then I wouldn’t bother doing it.”

David DuChemin, recently wrote, “You don’t have to photograph bears, or climb mountains, or hang out of helicopters. You don’t have to go, “On on an adventure”, to make great photographs. But, I think, making great photographs should be an adventure.”

Winnie the Pooh says, “Going on an Expotition?” said Pooh eagerly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on one of those. Where are we going to on this Expotition?” and 

Sing Ho! for the life of a Bear!
Sing Ho! for the life of a Bear!
I don't much mind if it rains or snows

Tis a known fact this blog does not do, ‘Tips and Tricks’, ‘How-to tutorials’, attention grabbing product reviews, nor influencer opinions for more hits and ‘followers’.

We just do photography, and the enjoyment of both birds and the act of photographing them.
The journey is never-ending and nor would I, and I’m guessing, you, want it to be.
If you’re battling with shutter or aperture priority, or should I use manual (wait for next week’s blog) or what is Auto ISO, or does EV really do anything, then join in with the rest of us. We all struggle with Light, with Composition, with Camera Settings and with finding the right bird—or subject— just to show I’m not biased :-).

Did you ever walk out and say, “Oh, Wow, this light is so nice!” It takes more than appreciation to be able to understand what you like about it. The angle, the intensity, the direction, the overall quality, and how it might add, or not to the subject.
I might lament on the days when the sky is porridge and the exposure drops by 5 stops to normal days, and the grey birds become lost in the grey surrounds, but, by looking, experimenting and exploring, there may be a mood to capture.

A word that has come up recently to be a catchall for those varying elements is “Amplify”. The mood, the choices we make for camera, angle and framing all bring their own special character to our photos.

We don’t want people to view the end result, and think about what ISO, Shutter, Aperture, Focal length, or camera brand we used. Nor to spend time interpreting the way the light works, the emphasis on texture, or tone, or shape, or any of the other language of light principles.
Nor do we want them pondering the hours spent in the Digital Darkroom enhancing the pixel values.
Hopefully, they see the result and connect with the subject.

I love Kestrels. Of all the raptors, Kestrels are my heart-tugging favourite. They seem to have such ‘sweet faces’ compared to other raptors. We are photographers of the open paddocks and plains. We rarely venture these days into the amazing rich forests, to explore and search among the myriad bushes, ferns and overhanging branches.
And
Because of that, we see many of the great birds of the wide open areas. Kestrels, Kites, Harriers, Eagles, Goshawks, and occasionally on the beach areas, Sea-eagles.

But of all of them, my heart is set on Kestrels.
So it was a great delight to drive down a farm paddock track, and find this lass sitting enjoying the morning sunshine. She was in no hurry to leave and nor was I. Lost were the technicalities of photography. Found was the enjoyment of experiencing a small moment in this bird’s life.

Enjoy

Saturday Evening Post: High Key

Posted in Saturday Evening PostTagged 3 Comments

A couple of my (now diminishing) group of working photographers was sitting round a table the other day, as we occasionally do. Discussions rarely move away from something photographic, as you’d expect.
One question that always comes up. “Whatchaworknon”? It used to be the catch-cry many years ago, but sadly, I think, we have pretty much accepted status quo, and just work away at what we are familiar with. The cool part of the “What” is ideas often cross-pollinate, or someone has been trying out this or that technique and their insights perhaps help problem solve.

Anyway, as it turned out, the big topic of the day was High Key portraits and Food photography -or product photography, in general.

High Key gives that ‘breathless ‘ feel of bright, light and energetic. It is at one level, a particularly challenging mode. The whites have to stay white, the mid-tones need to go to the lighter end, the shadows need to have a lovely pliable mellowness to them, bordering on the translucent. Or as someone once said, “Diaphanous” Bet that sent you to Uncle google.

And. It’s all about the light, and for us studio/product photographers with a grand studio, plenty of available light (as in every light available) it can be wonderful to work against one of those curved, endless horizon Cyclorama walls, or (cheaper) white fabric or backdrop.
I used to know a photographer who specialised in promo work for vehicle manufacturers. He converted an old warehouse into a huge Cyc wall so that even a prime-mover could fit in through the roller door, directly on to the set.
As an aside, he had to repaint the floor after each shoot to remove the tire tracks.:-)

But, for birds, well, we get it for free. Just ask anyone who’s been out lately in the foggy overcast atmospherics, that we euphemistically call, ‘weather’. Now the challenge is white bird on white backdrop. Hard to get the right exposure, and even harder to keep just enough form, shape and texture detail to prevent the feathers disappearing into the backdrop.
Easier to sit around a table, with a coffee at Gerry’s and talk about highkey.

I love Ibis. I know they get a bad rap from the press. But as a young kid roaming the irrigation channels of the river country, Ibis were everywhere, and never seemed to be a problem in the town. Perhaps the human condition of disposing of everything unwanted has been the real cause and not the bird’s need to find a meal.

This one swept into a small pondage where we were looking for Grebes.
It’s hard to explain the whiffling motion as they work out the suitable landing spot.

This one really wanted to get the best view of the pond.

Enjoy.

Saturday Evening Post: Growing Together

Posted in Black-shouldered Kite, Saturday Evening PostTagged , , 5 Comments

On a fine sunny morning, we made a trip out to see how the Happy Couple from my last post were progressing.

They were both on a roost tree and preening in the sunshine.
It was a great opportunity to see some slight differences in their colouring.
The male (?) seems to now have lost his former brown tan colours. Both of them still have a shade of brown for the eye colouring.

We’ve been guessing about how old they might be, but at best they were from the January clutches, so we are looking at birds around 5-6 months old at best.
She (?) still carries some tinges of juvenile colour in her wing feathers, and that can be seen in the diptych below.
They both seem to hunt together, and there is occasionally a bit of an aerial battle with talons up, and lots of hoarse calling. But they both return to perch and seem to be at ease wth one another.

Until. And this is where anthropomorphology takes over for a little.
He caught a mouse, and was seemingly intent on bringing it to enjoy his meal.
She on the other hand, made a decision that the mouse was in fact for her and a heated chase began across the paddock.

Two conclusions were possible. She might be far enough advanced to want him to begin to feed her for a possible clutch, (even if its not going to happen, she might have the idea, that he should be feeding) He, for his part is still a young bird and the gene pool has yet to release the necessary action needed for him to understand that for the relationship, he needs to provide for her while she sits eggs.

Either way. He had no intention of giving up the mouse and in the end ducked into a very thick tree where she decided not to follow. He didn’t come out again with the mouse, so no doubt polished it off at his leisure.

No doubt there are other Black-shouldered Kite explanations that could account for all this. In the meantime we’ll sit and enjoy their antics.

One of many passes she made to get him to release the mouse. For his part he just stopped in mid-air and she shot past.

Saturday Evening Post: The Happy Couple

Posted in Black-shouldered Kite, Saturday Evening PostTagged , 10 Comments

As you know, we’ve been following a young pair of Black-shouldered Kites for the past few weeks.

Earlier this year, a number of pairs nested in the same genera area, about the same time. Probably more like a three to four week span.
One pair in what we shall call the ‘home territory’ were in the later shift, and managed to raise and fly two young. At about the same time, the birds from the surrounding areas, moved into the home territory to feed and train their young. With four set of parents and their various offspring the paddocks had as many as 16 birds in the air hunting. Fortunately the mice seemed to have had their own population explosion and there was plenty of food to go round.

But as time went on, as things go with Kites, the young began to disperse and the adults moved on for a well deserved rest. In the end, the home territory male was still in residence, and two young kites that we concluded must be the young from his recent clutch.

Young siblings are happy to sit and hunt together and this couple seemed to be happy with their company. As the days went on, and the young orange feathers began to fade away, it became clear this pair were not moving on at all. And perhaps slowly it became even clearer that they were not siblings, but a young pair. No doubt with all the birds in the feeding frenzy, this pair had made an interesting selection.
Too early yet to know if they will stay and nest, but they certainly seem to have established several roost trees as their own.

Pair bonding with Kites is both a high activity and loud process. We found them practicing the techniques they will need for food exchange should they settle on a clutch. It looks pretty aggressive and serious, but they each seemed to know the part they have to play.
And a little later I found them sitting together on the nearby track, hunting crickets on the ground.

Hopefully there will be more to share of this story.

Enjoy

Quite relaxed together as they hunt crickets in the grass.

Saturday Evening Post: A Magic Place

Posted in "Western Treatment Plant", Saturday Evening Post, Western Treatment PlantTagged , 5 Comments

I was first introduced to the Western Treatment Plant by a birder who had been visiting the area for many years. He delighted in showing people the best of the area, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

On one trip, we were sitting on the rocks in the grass overlooking Ryan’s Swamp. It was at the time carrying a good depth of water. As we sat eating lunch, we chatted about the history of people bird watching in the area. One character, Fred Smith, had been visiting the plant for many years and in those early years, he would catch a train to Werribee Railway Station and then ride his bike down to the plant. In those early years, access to the bird-watching area was through the town of Cocoroc.

He then said two profound things that have stuck with over the years. As we sat in the early autumn sunshine, with Kites and Falcons keeping us entertained with their aerial skills, he said, “This is a Magic Place.” A little later he continued, “It is a great privilege to be able to have access here.”

Times have changed, transportation has become easier and now the ‘Farm’ is running the risk of over-familiarisation. Where once it was possible to see maybe 5 visitors in a day, now, the numbers approach 50 or more when a ”special” bird is in residence.

At present an international wanderer is causing excitement on social media, and the area where it is currently over-staying is in danger of becoming a traffic jam. And the environmental pressure around the pond had resulted in Melbourne Water closing a lot of small side roads with gates and signs and to issue, a fairly strong worded edict to birdwatchers, photographers and general visitors.
Here is part of that document.

Incidents include:

  • walking off tracks and roads and entering vegetated areas and margins of ponds for photograph opportunities
  • inappropriate driving on site including riding in the back of a ute tray whilst in motion
  • entering restricted areas on foot and by vehicle that are off limits to permit holders 
  • riding bicycles on the birdwatching route.

To protect yourself and the health and safety of these species, please:

  • stick to the tracks designated in the WTP Birdwatching Route Map
  • stay near your vehicle at all times – you are not permitted to walk more than 30 metres from your vehicle
  • abide by the prescribed speed limit of 30kmh or as designated by signage
  • follow instructions on all signage
  • DO NOT ENTER areas are strictly no-go zones – you are not permitted to enter
  • ROAD CLOSED sign means the area is closed both to foot traffic as well as vehicles
  • No bicycles are allowed on site – cars only

It seems that we no longer adhere to ‘a privilege’ to be there. The view of the bird, and the ultimate photograph are more important.
And overcrowding to get that social media ‘hit’ is not limited to birding. Places like Venice are charging tourists to enter. In Japan they have erected a large barrier to prevent people stopping in the middle of the road for that ‘perfect’ picture of Mt Fuji. And there are many others.

It reminds me of International Photography Exhibitions during the 1970-80s. There was a division for “Nature Photography” and -the hand of man- was not to be seen in the photo. As competition for these events was high, much ingenuity was used to obtain the prize winning picture.
For quite a few years photos, (and this is in the days of filum) were made of nesting birds by finding a nest, setting up the camera rig, and flash units, close to the nest, and then chopping off any branches that might obscure the ‘perfect shot’. One I know of used a motorised camera with a 250 shot back, and a motion release. He’d set it up, retire to the local motel for the day, and then on the following morning go and collect his gear and prize winner. Leaving the bird nest now totally exposed to predators and the weather.
Another series that did the rounds for awhile was pictures of Sacred Kingfishers in nest. This was achieved by digging a trench next to the nest and then scraping away the earth to reveal the young in the nest being fed. Again, driving away leaving the nest exposed. Spotted Pardalotes nest in holes in the ground, the entrance very well camouflaged. But it was nothing to clear it all way to get a shot of the bird emerging or entering the nest space.. And walking away leaving the nest unprotected. Fortunately in the end we were able to have such practices banned.
However the pictures still did the rounds.
Bowels, Robins and Flycatchers of Australia, has a number of photo plates where the pruning around the nest is quite obvious.

BIrdLife Australia has a code of practice for photographers. I hope for the sake of both the privilege to visit the area and the Magic of the Place, that notice is taken.
It would be sad to loose access to such a special place.

That’s all very well. But. How are we going to get in?

Saturday Evening Post: The Holy Grail

Posted in Pink Robin, Saturday Evening PostTagged , 7 Comments

We all in our own ways have that “Holy Grael” that Sir Perceval was seeking. However there are other lesser dreams we have that don’t involve messy stuff, like cleaning up after the “Fisher King” in his land of desolation. In fact, trying to read Joseph Campbell’s book: “Romance of the Grail” might in itself be one of those Great Quests.

Climbing Mount Everest is such a pursuit. Landing man on the moon. Playing a hole-in-one on the golf course and ever so many other Great Quests are challenges that people stand up to meet. So many great acts of, “Decent People, doing Decent Things” as I alluded recently regarding Arnold Dix

But there are also little wins we each make. Some birders are on the look out for the next big bird thing. A nomad, or wanderer that turns up unexpectedly. Enough to have them drive across the state or on some cases the continent and further.
We have been watching and waiting of late for the return of the Flame Robins from the high country. Just occasionally we might see a Rose or Scarlet, but rarely a Pink Robin. Not unheard of, but they tend to be birds of the forest I think, and our wide open plains are more to be flown over on their migration south on their quest for some suitable forest to winter over.

So, it was, as they say, a “Sir Perceval” or Mt Everest moment the other day, when as we searched through the underbrush, a small brown shape flashed from one wattle bush to another, and then intrigued by our presence, (well, I like to think that), she popped out on a branch, cocked her head to one side, paused long enough for a few frames, and then in the twinkle of her eye.
Disappeared back into the wattle branches.
Gone.
“Pink Robin, Female”.

Might not be Mt Everest, or a hole-in-one on the golf course, but a highlight of the day.

Enjoy (We did)

Saturday Evening Post: There and Back

Posted in Black-shouldered Kite, Saturday Evening PostTagged , 8 Comments

Many will know I’ve mentioned my theory about Brown Falcon’s ability to ‘map’ out an area and fly, following that internal map.

I came across an article in The Smithsonian Magazine recently titled, Why Do Some People Always Get Lost.

The interesting part to me is toward the end and titled Mental Mappers. I can’t provide a direct link, and it’s a long scroll down. It refers to “….the specific skills that are hallmarks of good navigators These include the ability to estimate how far you’ve traveled, to read and remember maps (both printed and mental), to learn routes based on a sequence of landmarks and to understand where points are relative to one another.” ” Two of those skill are ‘Route Following’ and …and what’s often termed ‘survey knowledge,’ the ability to build and consult a mental map of a place.”

When my Mother-in-Law was getting on in years the family pointed out she was unable to move around on her own as, “She didn’t know where she was.” Now, I had to take exception to that as I’d travelled about with her quite extensively and was more than confident in her ability to go from home, to the shops, pick up a bottle of milk and return safely. And to venture in and out of several stores along the route. I discovered that they were judging her lack of ability because they had taken her to a shopping centre she’d never been to before and she had asked, “So, how do you get out of here?” I’m certain I’d have done the same. New place, new location, no mind-map.

As a young tacker, I grew up with a highly respected bushman. He could wander about for hours and still know where he was, where the start point might be, or the next spot to go visit. His simple secret was he named locations as he went along. Easy to remember names, like places, “The Eiffel Tower”, “The Burnt Log”, “Wombat’s Home”, and others. The landmarks would be no more than 200-500meters apart. So if he was somewhere, all he had to do was find one of his landscape features and follow back from there. When I walk the Eynesbury Forest, or the Woodlands Historic Park, I still use that system.

I’ve sat for an hour so so with so many Brown Falcon’s and watched them watching. Then when they fly, it’s a deliberate run at almost ground level, to swoop on something, or onto the next chosen perch. As they slip past a bush here, around a plant there, through an opening in the grass, it’s hard not to be impressed at their mapping ability.

And just in case you never leave home without GPS, here is a conclusion from the study.

…A follow-up with 13 of the volunteers three years later revealed that those who had used GPS the most during the intervening period experienced greater declines in their ability to navigate without GPS, strongly suggesting that GPS reliance causes diminished skills, rather than poor skills leading to greater GPS use.

We’ve also been following a pair of Black-shouldered Kites. They fledged two young about two months ago, and the young, as normal have now moved away. As soon as her young fledge, the female usually hands responsibility of their care and feeding to the male. She then takes a few weeks extended leave, and goes off to replenish her system from the 8 weeks or so of sitting on the nest.
For some reason this female had not returned for about two months. Her male kept station and I was beginning to think he was on his own.
However the other day, we found them both hunting in the paddock.
The picture on this page is of her sweeping in with a catch. Not sure if she took the mouse, or if he’d passed it on to her. Will have to wait to see what, if anything develops.

Saturday Evening Post: The Variations of Colour

Posted in Brown Falcon, Saturday Evening PostTagged , 8 Comments

If you assemble a group of half a dozen birders together and ask a question about bird id, you’ll likely get about 10 or more different answers.

Birds don’t make it easy. Some have unusual juvenile plumage and are easy to spot. Some don’t. Some differ between breeding and non-breeding plumage (Consider the Red-necked Stint, it’s most unusual in Australia to see them fully coloured up rich red).

Discussions begin about the intricacies of variation in moult patterns, in feeding styles, of nesting and a whole range of features and characteristics.
Discussion also turns to cover all sorts of anecdotal material, and some wise birders seem to be able to determine not only the sex of every bird, but on which side of the tree the nest was on.
It’s enough for the beginner to shake their head and wander away thinking, “I only wanted to know if it was a Sparrow or an Emu!”

Most birds don’t have a wide variation of plumage so its pretty easy to settle on what a Little Pied Cormorant looks like, and why it’s not to be id’d as a Australian Pied Cormorant. Or, some are distinctive enough, think Laughing Kookaburra, as to not be easily confused.

But when it comes to Brown Falcons

This past week my Flickr and WP friend Eleanor, had made a trip to the Western Treatment Plant, and photographed a bird which, at first blush looked like a Nankeen Kestrel. It certainly started some conversation around my group of birders.

Browns are birds of the open plains and open forests.
As the text books say, “Brown bird with a variable plumage.” Which is where the problems of id begin to surface.
And variable is what seems to make id complicated sometimes.

Browns can vary from dark chocolate brown, through a marbling light brown on white, to white chests and underwings.
At a distance, a light morph Brown is easily mistaken for a Nankeen Kestrel

Here are three that show some of the variations. All of these are local birds that I’ve come across in the past couple of years.

See. “With variations”
Here is one that is similar, (if not the same bird, but I’m only guessing) that Eleanor found

For a greater discussion there is an interesting PDF file from the publication, The Emu 2003.
Much of the research was made at the Western Treatment Plant.

And here is a lovely cover of an old Gould League of Victoria publication with paintings by Susan McInnes. As can be seen, this particular book has had a long journey in our family.

It used to be said, that light coloured birds were from the wide open plains and darker birds from forested areas. But, like all anecdotal stories, they may only be true under certain circumstances. As a young tacker growing up in the wide ranging open fields of the Mallee in Victoria, it was not unusual to see light through dark birds.

Long term readers know we regularly have contact with a pair of Browns. She is of the mid-tone marbled chest, but her handsome male, that I call “Alistair” is a very light morph bird. Here he is on a turn.

To add to the complexities, some like Alistair have yellow cere and eye marks, while others are a grey-blue.

And for completeness, here is a young bird that had only been fledged a couple of days, the baby down is still showing on its head, as is the rich apricot colours.

Good Luck with id.

Enjoy.


Saturday Night Post: Connections

Posted in Saturday Evening PostTagged 8 Comments

In his book, “What the Robin Knows”, author Jon Young writes about how birds reveal the secrets of the natural world.

He tells a story of the time he was in a meeting in a full glassed office, and looked out to see a bird looking and acting very agitated. He exclaimed, “Oh, there is a cat coming along the footpath.” The others looked out and of course there was no cat. They were in a completely different frame of mind at that moment.
A minute or so later, a cat strolled down the path past the window. And everybody’s jaws dropped. Perhaps they were in the presence of a man with physic powers? Jon then explained the actions of the bird had led him to follow the story outside and that’s how he knew the conclusion.

EE and I usually work with only a small number of birds, we don’t chase birds for accounting purposes, nor do we rush to see the latest ‘new thing’. I don’t have a problem with those that do, just. We don’t.

Just for the record, we don’t camo, sit in hides or ‘sneak’ up on birds either. We let birds establish boundaries, and try very hard not to cross those lines. If I put a bird to flight, the loss is mine and I try not do do it again.
Some birds seem to have more tolerance of the human condition than others and some that have chosen to work in high human density areas are tolerant almost to the point of disdain. Ibis, Ravens, Gulls, Sparrows, Wattlebirds, and Magpie-larks and more, consider our wasteful practices to their advantage and readily move around us without fear.
Many a sausage on a BBQ has been lost to a marauding Kookaburra as it swoops down unannounced from the tree above. 🙂

Other birds just simply grace us with their presence.
My friend Martyn, has a Sparrowhawk that is using his fence as a perching spot, and has become quite predictable. I featured a wonderful video sequence of his a few posts back. However, see Martyn’s Flickr page here for the latest in the ongoing saga. Here is a bird that has become a regular.

Being able to take the time to observe such a bird, one can begin to learn about its character, and begin to see things from the bird’s perspective or at least to appreciate their perspective. It may only be a Sparrow, or Blackbird, or New Holland Honeyeater that regularly turns up in the garden, but there are things to know about the bird that are special only to each of us.

As Jon says, in a story of the San Bushman, “We develop connections with all aspects of the creation.”
As awareness grows, appreciation grows, as appreciation grows, so does empathy— Jon Young

This is one of two young Black-shouldered Kites that are just coming out of juvenile colours. This one is now quite grey of head and only a few chest colours have yet to fade. For us it’s an interesting story, as we are either looking at two siblings, and there were two fledged in the area a couple of months back. Or, two young birds that have formed a pair-bond. At present the jury is out, but if they stay around together, it’s certainly going to be a pair-bond.

Enjoy