A bit of birding in lieu of a pelagic trip

The pelagic birding trip we were booked on today from Port Fairy was postponed due to the weather so I dropped into a few places on the way home to see what I could find.

First stop was the wetlands at the start of the Port Fairy Rail Trail. Several Golden-headed Cisticola were calling from the reeds but they stayed in the centre of the wetland so I couldn't get any closeup shots. This was the best I could do.

Golden-Headed Cisticola, Port Fairy Rail Trail
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/400

Golden-Headed Cisticola, Port Fairy Rail Trail
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/500

Three Common Greenshank were feeding along the edge of the Moyne River but only one was close enough for a half decent shot.

Common Greenshank, Moyne River, Port Fairy
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/1000

I tried Belfast Beach but there were people and dogs along the beach so I didn't bother looking for any birds and headed for Killarney Beach, where I found three of my fellow pelagic-trip refugees and we took a walk along the western end of the beach. We spotted six Hooded Plovers but decided not to approach them too closely as they were fairly skittish. A pair of Kelp Gulls was hanging around on the shore and this one stayed still long enough for a long-distance shot.

Kelp Gull, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2000

There were also Sooty Oystercatchers and Australian Pied Oystercatchers flying around.

Sooty Oystercatcher, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/2000

Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/500

Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250

Lunchtime was beckoning so I grabbed take-away in Warrnambool and went to Thunder Point to eat and watch the avian passers-by. These two Little Ravens sat right next to the car allowing me this shot out of the window.

Little Raven, Thunder Point, Warrnambool
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/11, 1/250

The final stop before heading for home was a quick drop-in to Lake Purrumbete just outside of Camperdown. There was very little bird activity on the lake but this Little Pied Cormorant posed for a few shots on a fence post in the middle of a flooded paddock - again shot out of the car window.

Little Pied Cormorant, near Lake Purrumbete
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2500

Ricketts Point

I had the pleasure of catching up with an old friend for lunch today at the Ricketts Point Teahouse/Beachside Café and (of course) packed the camera in the car just in case I had time for a bit of birding. I grew up in Beaumaris in the 1960s and my favourite childhood memories are of exploring the intertidal rock platforms at Ricketts Point and Dalgetty Road beach. The intertidal fauna is not what it was fifty years ago but the birdlife is more spectacular than I remember it.

Dalgetty Road Beach from Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

The usual suspects were there aplenty

Australian Pelican, Silver Gull, Crested Tern
Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

and, if you take your time, they allow you to get very close

Crested Tern (juvenile), Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

Birds fly to and from roosting spots on the rock platforms so it's a great place for flight shots

Crested Tern (juvenile), Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

Crested Tern, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris 

Australian Pelican, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

It's not uncommon to see 4 species of cormorants on the point. Only 3 today but managed to get all in one shot

Pied Cormorant, Little Pied Cormorant and Little Black Cormorant
Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

A pair of Sooty Oystercatchers spent a long time feeding in the shallows around the rock platform and allowed close approach

Sooty Oystercatcher, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

and, a first for me at this location, a single Royal Spoonbill was feeding very close to the shore

Royal Spoonbill, Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

Tasmanian Holiday

My wife and I spent 4 days in southern Tasmania recently and while it was essentially a bird photography free holiday (i.e., no big lens or tripod) the local birds were so tame that I was able to capture a few close-ups with just a 28-200mm lens.

First day was on Bruny Island and we were in luck with the sunny and calm weather which made for a fantastic day. While waiting for the ferry from Kettering, we found a pair of White-faced Herons foraging in the grass near the marina.

White-faced Heron, Kettering, Tasmania

The day's highlight was the 3 hour wildlife cruise where we managed to see Humpback Whales, Short-beaked Common Dolphins, New Zealand and Australian Fur Seals, a Southern Elephant Seal, hundreds of Short-tailed Shearwaters and a few Shy Albatross, one of which allowed us close enough for some good shots.

Shy Albatross, off Bruny Island, Tasmania

On Friday, the fog finally lifted from Mt Wellington so we drove to the summit to enjoy one of the world's great views.

Hobart - view from Mt Wellington

On the way back down, a brief stop at The Springs Picnic Ground was rewarded with a very tame Black Currawong.

Black Currawong, The Springs, Mt Wellington, Tasmania

While visiting the Bob Barker (SeaShepherd.org), I found a co-operative Black-faced Cormorant at the Hobart waterfront near Victoria Dock.

Black-faced Cormorant, Hobart, Tasmania

We spent the weekend on the Tasman Peninsula visiting the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park, Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck. On our last stop at the Tessellated Pavement, I again managed to get very close to some of the locals.

Kelp Gull, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania

Sooty Oystercatcher, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania

In addition to these shots, we also managed to see 6 of the 12 Tasmanian endemics without even trying - what a great place! Can't wait to get back there for a dedicated birding trip.

Newport, Altona and 13th Beach

I had the pleasure of attending a bird photography workshop run by Paul Randall (check his website wingsonwire.com) this morning at the delightful Newport Lakes Reserve (see map). This is the first time I've been here and it's a fantastic place. It's an old bluestone quarry that has been revegetated, mostly with indigenous flora, and there have now been 100+ bird species seen in the small reserve. Paul's workshop was great and I did manage to get one shot before the session as a pair of Grey Teals followed me around the South Lake.

Grey Teal, Newport Lakes Reserve

I am pleased with this shot, not because it's the best shot of a duck I have but it was early in the morning and overcast so was very dark and the bird was swimming fairly fast and close to me (this is almost full frame). This was shot at 1/30th of a second on 600mm worth of lens (300mm with 2x converter) and it's pretty sharp. I also like the subtle pastel tints in the otherwise grey water.

However, the weather turned for the worse at the end of the session so I opted to head off home via Williamstown and Altona beaches. Driving along The Esplanade at Altona Beach, I noticed a large mixed flock of birds roosting on the rocks just offshore between Cresser and Frazer Reserves (see map) so stopped for a closer look and found Little Pied Cormorant, Silver Gull, Pacific Gull, Crested Tern, Common Tern and Sooty Oystercatcher. I waded out into the shallow water to get closer to the roosting birds and they allowed me to get very close.

Sooty Oystercatcher, Altona Beach

I had to wait more than 10 minutes focussed on this bird, waiting for it to do something moderately interesting. A black bird shot in grey light from behind was not going to make a great photograph but eventually the bird turned its head side on and yawned. A throw away record shot turned into a keeper with a little patience and a tripod (there's no way I could maintain the concentration on the bird with finger on the shutter if hand-holding for 10 minutes and this yawn lasted less than a second).

Several Common Terns allowed me to get as close as the lens I was using would allow and still fit the birds sensibly in the frame.

Common Tern, Altona Beach

On the way home, I stopped at 13th Beach and Black Rocks to see if I could find the Pacific Golden Plovers. No luck with the PGPs but there was no shortage of wading birds with Red-capped Plover, Hooded Plover, Double-banded Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and Red-necked Stint as well as the usual Silver Gull, Pacific Gull and Crested Tern.

The Ruddy Turnstones were feeding on the edge of the sand dunes (something I have not seen before) but were easily spooked by people and dogs walking along the beach, giving a good opportunity for some flight shots

Ruddy Turnstone, 13th Beach

The Red-necked Stints were less easily spooked and remained feeding low on the shore, some with plumage starting to live up to their name.

Red-necked Stint, 13th Beach