Lake Anderson, Chiltern (Part 3)

The late afternoon light was again spectacular and several of our group again took up spots on the north bank of Lake Anderson to photograph the incoming and outgoing birds.

A Masked Lapwing was standing sentinel on the small island in the middle of the lake and caught the sidelight of the setting sun.

Masked Lapwing, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 1600, f/8, 1/4000

A Blue-faced Honeyeater flew across the lake and I managed to get one shot in frame and in focus.

Blue-faced Honeyeater, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 1600, f/8, 1/2500

There was not much else happening in there air so I waited for these coots to get into a pleasing pose while they swam around in the reflections of the reeds.

Eurasian Coot, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 1600, f/8, 1/4000

Eventually, a few Pacific Black Ducks flew in just in time to make the most of the last few minutes of the light.

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 2500, f/8, 1/1250

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 2500, f/8, 1/1250

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 2500, f/8, 1/1250

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 2500, f/8, 1/1000

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 2500, f/8, 1/1000

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 2500, f/8, 1/500

Next morning, No.1 and No.2 Dam.

Heathcote

I spent the night in Heathcote on the way to a long weekend of birding and photography in the central goldfields region with the MELBOCA Photography Group (highlights from these three days to follow). I arrived in the early evening with just enough photographic light left for a short walk along one of the back roads where there is a healthy roadside woodland corridor. 15 species seen in the trees and surrounding farmland (in 20 minutes) including: White-winged Chough, Australian Magpie, Magpie Lark, Laughing Kookaburra, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Red-rumped Parrot, Masked Lapwing, Welcome Swallow, Rufous Songlark, Red Wattlebird and White-plumed Honeyeater, none of which was particularly photographically cooperative. However, I did manage to capture these:

Dusky Woodswallow, Heathcote

Musk Lorikeet, Heathcote

Blue-faced Honeyeater, Heathcote

and one of my perennial favourites, the comedian of the bird world

Galah, Heathcote

but the highlight of the evening was this Willie Wagtail sitting on a nest in an old petrol bowser inside a farm shed (the owner saw me on the road while I was photographing the Galah and asked if I wanted to see this).

Willie Wagtail, Heathcote

The weekend:

Day 1 - Heathcote-Graytown and Axedale

Day 2 - Kamarooka

Day 3 - Whipstick and Bells Swamp

North-Central Victoria

Beautiful sunny day today in north-central Victoria with lots of bush birds active.

Brown Treecreeper, Echuca

Red-rumped Parrot (male), Echuca

White-backed Swallow, Echuca

along with some judicious use of fence posts...

Jacky Winter, Barmah National Park

Blue-faced Honeyeater, Rushworth