Indented Head Fly-by

I spent today with the Melbourne Birdlife Photography Group, checking out some of my favourite sites around the Bellarine Peninsula. Unfortunately, the weather was dismal - grey clouds and drizzly rain - for most of the day but we managed to get a few shots of birds in flight at the last stop for the day at the Indented Head boat ramp. Indented Head juts out into Port Phillip Bay, intersecting a well used seabird flight path, so it's a great place in the late afternoon when birds are heading back to roosting sites for the night. With heavy cloud cover, the light was not great so it was a constant balancing act of trying to get the best ISO and aperture to maintain at least a reasonable shutter speed but a few cormorants and gulls provided some entertainment.

The lights and railings on the jetty provide roosting spots for the gulls

Pacific Gull, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/4000

Silver Gull (immature), Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/3200

while they wait for the returning fisherman to throw them some scraps.

Pacific Gull, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/2000

Pacific Gull, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/1600

Silver Gull (immature), Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/6400

Little Pied Cormorant, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 640, f/4.5, 1/1000

Pied Cormorant, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 640, f/4.5, 1/2000

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

Kerang Lakes - Part 3 Back to Lake Tutchewop

After searching for the 'alleged' Long-billed Dowitcher at Lake Tutchewop this morning then spending some time at Reedy Lakes, I returned to Lake Tutchewop late this afternoon for one more attempt at the Dowitcher.

The water level had dropped even further this afternoon but there were still lots of birds to be photographed including Australian Pelicans, Australian Shelduck, Caspian Tern, Silver Gulls and several species of small waders hanging around at the water's edge.

Australian Pelican, Australian Shelduck, Caspian Tern, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Red-necked Stint
Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/32 1/100

Australian Shelduck + Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/16 1/125

Australian Pelican, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/22 1/200

Masked Lapwing, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/16 1/125

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper + Silver Gull, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/16 1/100

Nothing close to shore though...and no Dowitcher! There were several other people at the site also Dowitcher hunting. They were a little more gung-ho than I am (well, a lot really) about searching the vegetated areas (two of them walked straight through the waist high vegetation) so if the bird was there it was definitely not going to show itself. Rather than get into an argument over habitat destruction, flushing birds and the dangers of snake-bite, I decided it was time to leave. Not quite willing to give up yet, I drove to nearby Lake Kelly, the only other lake in the area with wader-suitable shallows around the lake shore. A slow scan of the shore line from two vantage points found nothing resembling a Dowitcher but I did get the chance to get reasonably close to a feeding Red-necked Avocet. There were several of them feeding along the shore with Banded Stilts but getting any closer to the others would have meant walking along the lake shore with no cover and I didn't want to chance disturbing the birds just for another shot.

Red-necked Avocet, Lake Kelly, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/2000

As I was driving out, a Nankeen Kestrel flew into a tree by the roadside so first a shot from the car window...

Nankeen Kestrel (female), Lake Kelly, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/2000

then out of the car for a closer look/shot.

Nankeen Kestrel (female), Lake Kelly, Kerang
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/22, ISO 400, f/5.6 1/4000

So, I dipped on the Long-billed Dowitcher but I am confident I gave it my best shot on the day. I have seen this species before (in North America) so I was was not too devastated to have missed it but it may be the only chance I get to add it to my Australian list. Overall, though, happy with a great day of birding.

Silver Gulls at Pt Lonsdale

The weather was cool and rainy today but a quick stop at the Pt Lonsdale lighthouse, while out running a few errands, proved fruitful despite there being very few birds around. Usually in bad weather at this time of the year the lighthouse is a good place to spot albatross, gannets and other seabirds flying around offshore. However, despite the frequent rain storms today, the wind was an unseasonable northerly and not very strong. In the 20 minutes I spent at the lighthouse between rain storms I did not see one bird offshore.

The lookout in front of the lighthouse does provide a great view west to The Bluff at Barwon Heads

The Bluff, Barwon Heads from Point Lonsdale

and east to the limestone cliffs and fortifications on Point Nepean.

Point Nepean from Point Lonsdale

Serendipity played its part though when for a brief few minutes a gap in the heavy cloud cover in the north allowed a diffused sunlight to pass through just as a pair of Silver Gulls landed on the cliff top in front of me. The light combined with the soft, out of focus sea behind the birds and their "modelling" display (they really did look like they were trying out poses for me to shoot), allowed me to capture this sequence in a few minutes before I had to retreat from another oncoming storm.

Silver Gull, Pt Lonsdale

These really are glorious birds when you find them away from car parks, rubbish dumps and fish'n'chip shops.

A Long Weekend in SW Victoria: Part 2. Sunrise at Bridgewater Bay

We stayed at The Sea View Lodge in Cape Bridgewater, right on Bridgewater Bay (thanks for the great hospitality Dennis!)

Sea View Lodge, Bridgewater Bay

This made it easy for an early morning walk on the beach to catch the sunrise...one of the advantages of winter is that 'early morning' is after 7:00!

Bridgewater Bay and Cape Bridgewater
Photo courtesy of Joanne Smissen

The colour of the early morning light combined with the reflections in the surface water on the rippled sand, made for some great views of Crested Terns and Silver Gulls but the very low light levels and mostly backlighting meant very slow shutter speeds would be required to adequately expose the birds. To avoid this, I decided to use fill flash to capture the birds and retain the colours in the wet sand. The flash also enables the colours of the birds to be captured vividly.

Crested Tern, Bridgewater Bay

Crested Tern (immature), Bridgewater Bay

Silver Gull, Bridgewater Bay

I had turned off the flash when these two started to perform but by then the light had improved a little allowing me to capture this interaction between adult and juvenile Silver Gulls.

Silver Gull, Bridgewater Bay

There were also some non-avian flyers hanging around.

The rest of the weekend:
Part 1. Cape Nelson
Part 3. Lower Glenelg National Park
Part 4. Shore Birds

Lake Colac Serenity

Having taken the scenic route to Colac this afternoon (with stops at Breamlea and Wurdiboluc Reservoir), I arrived to find the Lake as calm as I have ever seen it.

Australian Pelican, Lake Colac

Black Swan, Silver Gull, Pacific Black Duck
Lake Colac

While Silver Gulls are common and frequently annoying, they are beautiful birds and usually photographically cooperative, so I couldn't resist this one...

Silver Gull, Lake Colac

A flotilla of Australian Pelicans, cruised past,

Australian Pelican, Lake Colac

the backlighting showed off the wake and bow wave

Australian Pelican, Lake Colac

and one flew in for some party tricks

Australian Pelican, Lake Colac

Black Swans hung out among the reeds,

Black Swan, Lake Colac

while an odd pair of spoonbills was feeding close to shore

Yellow-billed Spoonbill + Royal Spoonbill
Lake Colac

Royal Spoonbill, Lake Colac

Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Lake Colac

and a Magpie Lark was stalking the shoreline.

Magpie Lark, Lake Colac

There's a small swampy wetland just next to the lake (accessible by car from the end of Church St or by walking east along the track around the south shore of the lake) designated as the Lake Colac Bird Sanctuary. By the time I got there it was getting quite dark but I did manage to find this lone Cattle Egret.

Cattle Egret, Lake Colac Bird Sanctuary

but then a few of its mates flew in

Cattle Egret, Lake Colac Bird Sanctuary

to join the party.

Cattle Egret, Lake Colac Bird Sanctuary

On the return walk to the car, a family of Superb Fairy-wrens was hanging around the track but only this female sat still long enough for a photograph.

Superb Fairy-wren, Lake Colac Bird Sanctuary

but the photographic highlight for the day was this fox. I have rarely seen them this brazen in broad daylight - it was feeding on something in a paddock as I drove by and stayed long enough for me to stop, reverse, park, get out and grab the camera.