I spent this morning at Wenhams Camp in the Warby Ovens National Park on the way to Chiltern for a long weekend of bird photography with the Melbourne Birdlife Photography Group.
I made sure to arrive early to catch the Eastern Grey Kangaroos that frequent the open grassland adjacent to the picnic and camping ground.
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| Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/4000 |
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| Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/3200 |
Many of the females were carrying relatively mature Joeys.
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| Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/1600 |
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| Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/3200 |
The main avian attraction here was the promise of spotting Turquoise Parrots. "Spotting" was an apt description as the two pairs I found provided only fleeting glances as they flew from tree to tree, usually obscured, at least partially, by intervening branches.
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| Turquoise Parrot (male), Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
This female has a distinctly orange-red belly unlike the other three birds whose undersides appeared to be uniformly green-yellow.
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| Turquoise Parrot (female), Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
Eventually, one came out into the open for a few seconds but had its head stuck in a hole.
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| Turquoise Parrot (male), Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/640 |
I am not sure if this was already a nesting hole or if the bird was just inspecting it but I didn't take the risk of disturbing it any further so I left quietly.
There were plenty of other bush birds to see including Brown-headed Honeyeaters high in the treetops.
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| Brown-headed Honeyeater, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
Brown Treecreepers and White-throated Treecreepers were doing their thing up and down tree trunks.
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Brown Treecreeper, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/400
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| Brown Treecreeper, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/320 |
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| Brown Treecreeper, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/500 |
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| White-throated Treecreeper, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/320 |
Dusky Woodswallows were flying around the treetops but one perched on a low branch long enough for this shot.
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| Dusky Woodswallow, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
This Jacky Winter had been coming and going from this tree stump for about 15 minutes so I set up nearby to get a shot and just as I was pre-focussing on the stump to be ready for it next time it landed, the bird flew past without landing and I managed to fire off one shot of it in flight and in frame.
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| Jacky Winter, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/4000 |
It did finally settle on a nearby tree.
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| Jacky Winter, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/640 |
and eventually allowed me very close.
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| Jacky Winter, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/2500 |
Similar to the Turquoise Parrots, this Speckled Warbler spent most of its time flitting from branch to branch, partially hidden by branches and foliage but I did manage a few shots of it mostly unobscured.
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| Speckled Warbler, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
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| Speckled Warbler, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
This White-browed Babbler was spooked by an overhead attack from what appeared to be either a Collared Sparrowhawk or a Brown Goshawk. It all happened so quickly, I couldn't identify the attacker but the potential victim remained still in this bush for several minutes.
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| White-browed Babbler, Wenhams Camp, Warby Ovens National Park, Victoria Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adaptor), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/400 |
All too soon it was time to move on the Chiltern for a walk around Lake Anderson.
