Ricketts Point...for Bob

This afternoon I had the great pleasure of attending the launch of the book: Teacher Inside Out written by Bob Whiteway. Bob taught high school for 40 years, including the 6 years I spent at Beaumaris High School in the 1970s. He has been an active environmentalist and advocate for marine conservation for many years and was instrumental in the creation of Ricketts Point (in Beaumaris) as a marine sanctuary (see The Age article from 2003). As I've noted in several other posts, I grew up in and around this beautiful beach so, in Bob's honour, I spent a couple of hours there late this afternoon photographing the usual avian suspects.

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/200

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/400

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/5000

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/400

Black Swan, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/2500

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/2500

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/3200

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/2500

Little Pied Cormorant, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/200

Little Pied Cormorant, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/2000

Pacific Gull (immature, 1st year), Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/2000

Pacific Gull (immature, 1st year), Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/1250

Pacific Gull (adult), Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/1250

Pied Cormorant, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/4000

Pied Cormorant, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/2000

Pied Cormorant, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/4000

Silver Gull, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/800

Silver Gull, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/8000

Yan Yean

I spent today with the Melbourne Birdlife Photography group around Yan Yean, on the NE rural fringe of Melbourne.

First stop was Yellow Gum Park, a small reserve surrounding a disused quarry within a bend of the Plenty River (see map). 

I arrived early enough to spot a few kangaroos still hanging around. These two were photographed from the car as there was very little cover to try and stalk them on foot.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Yellow Gum Park, Plenty, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1000

Many of the eucalypts were in flower and there seemed to be a lot of birds singing in the treetops and around the river but they remained aloof and elusive but I did manage to get a couple of shots (both from the car park).

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow Gum Park, Plenty, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1250

Little Raven, Yellow Gum Park, Plenty, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1250

Next stop was Laurimar Wetlands in Doreen, where there were plenty of waterbirds to be found and photographed. As one of our bunch quipped: "If there's nothing to be found in the bush, go to a shopping centre" (the wetland is right on the edge of the Doreen shopping centre).

Australian Pelican, Laurimar Wetlands, Doreen, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/2000

Australian Pelican, Laurimar Wetlands, Doreen, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/4000

Australian Pelican, Laurimar Wetlands, Doreen, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/4, 1/8000

Australian Wood Duck, Laurimar Wetlands, Doreen, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/640

Hardhead, Laurimar Wetlands, Doreen, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/2000

We then headed for the Yan Yean Reservoir Park for lunch and more birding in the afternoon. Several species of parrots were heard and seen, including Rainbow and Little Lorikeets, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Galahs and Long-billed Corellas and one group found a pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos. I only managed to photograph these Eastern Rosellas in a tree near the picnic ground.

Eastern Rosella, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/800

Eastern Rosella, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/640

The afternoon highlight, though, was the wetland between the dam wall and the road, which, among the usual ducks, grebes, moorhens and swamphens, provided sightings of two species of Crake. Two Baillon's Crake were foraging among the reeds and while easily spotted, they remained difficult to photograph as they were constantly on the move and views usually obstructed by reeds.

Baillon's Crake, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/640

Baillon's Crake, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1000

A solo Spotless Crake was foraging along the far bank of the wetlands allowing good views, albeit in and out of shadows and a fair distance away but it's always good to see these secretive little birds.

Spotless Crake, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/320

Spotless Crake, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1250

An Australian Reed-Warbler was calling loudly from among the reeds and many of us stopped to see if we could capture an image.  This is often the best you see of this species...

Australian Reed-Warbler, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/5000

...but with some persistence, you can eventually get some better views as these birds often start singing from low down among the reeds and then come up to the tops of the reeds to continue their calling.

Australian Reed-Warbler, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/3200

Australian Reed-Warbler, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/4000

Australian Reed-Warbler, Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1000

I even managed to remember to switch over to video and capture the song (along with some other birds and Pobblebonk frogs in the background).

There was also almost no wind allowing some shots of damselflies and dragonflies.

Common Bluetail, (Damselfly), Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/500

Common Bluetail, (Damselfly), Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/160

Wandering Percher, (Dragonfly), Yan Yean Reservoir Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/3200

So, once again, the Melbourne Birdlife Photography group provided a brilliant day out and I managed to finally photograph two relatively common species (Eastern Rosella and Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike) that had eluded me since starting this blog 5 years ago!

No.1 and No.2 Dams, Chiltern

No early morning photography at the lake this morning as I opted to pack up most of the camping gear to be ready for a quicker getaway this afternoon. However, this female Australian Magpie kept me company while I ate breakfast so I couldn't resist getting a shot.

Australian Magpie (female), Lake Anderson Caravan Park, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/1600

First official birding stop for the day was Chiltern Valley No. 2 Dam (a small pocket of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, a few kilometres west of Chiltern) but, on the way, I spotted a handful of Australian White Ibis sitting on nests on a small island in a farm dam.

Australian White Ibis, Wenkes Road, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2000

When we arrived at No. 2 Dam, we walked around to the bird hide but there was very little activity on the dam, except for the arrival of this Australian Pelican.

Australian Pelican, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5, 1/1600

The surrounding bush was similarly quiet but this Eastern Yellow Robin landed in a tree almost immediately above my head - not the best angle but you have to take what you can get.

Eastern Yellow Robin, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2000

Back at the car park we spotted a Whistling Kite circling overhead

Whistling Kite, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/8000

Whistling Kite, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/6400

but the highlight of this location was spotting a Yellow-footed Antechinus running along a log and climbing a tree. I almost always have the camera with long lens attached to a tripod but this morning because we were walking to a bird hide (and tripods, crowds and bird hides are a bad combination), I was hand holding the camera...highly serendipitous because there is no way I would have caught this little marsupial if I had to set up the tripod.

Yellow-footed Antechinus, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/2000

Yellow-footed Antechinus, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/5000

Next stop was No. 1 Dam, a small picturesque lake surrounded by eucalypt woodland.

No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @16mm, ISO 800, f/11, 1/200

Circling overhead was another (or maybe the same as the two dams are only about 2 kilometres apart) Whistling Kite but this time much higher up.

Whistling Kite, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/9, 1/2500

A pair of Red-rumped Parrots landed on a stump just offshore from the bank near where we were standing and gave us great views, including the female checking out a hole in the stump.

Red-rumped Parrot, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/250

Red-rumped Parrot, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/320

Red-rumped Parrot, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/500

Red-rumped Parrot (female), No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/800

This afternoon, Regent Parrots revisited.