Cairns Foreshore

We drove from Ingham to Cairns today with a few stops for walks but it was so hot in the middle of the day that the birds were sensibly nowhere to be seen. Apparently only mad dogs, Englishmen and Victorian tourists go out in the north Qld midday sun :-)

I have never been to Cairns before so I was really looking forward to a combination of being a tourist and doing some FNQ birding on the side. The legendary Cairns foreshore was beckoning as soon as we arrived. The scene from the apartment balcony teased us with a view of the late afternoon outgoing tide; perfect for the close-up views of waders I'd heard so much about.

Apartment view, The Esplanade, Cairns Qld

I am a frequent visitor to the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee Victoria, one of the great wader locations in Australia; I have been to Roebuck Bay in Broome where the waders number in tens to hundreds of thousands and I have been to several of the prime wader watching sites in North America but the Cairns foreshore experience blew me away. As the tide recedes, you can stand on the boardwalk viewing hundreds of wading birds that are seemingly oblivious of the masses of humanity carrying on their recreational activities just metres away.

As the light levels dropped quickly (one of the disadvantages of being so far north is the lack of twilight and the mountain range behind Cairns means the sun 'sets' earlier), I tried out the flash for some of the shots. I still need to work on the settings to make the look more natural but I am enjoying this new challenge and the flash does provide  a "white light" view of the coloration and plumage detail that is often difficult to render under natural light in low light conditions.

Highlights were several species that are either rare or difficult to find/photograph in Victoria so special treats for a southerner:

Species such as Greater Sand Plover are not rare in Victoria but take some finding and are often in out of the way locations so I was thrilled to have this as the first bird I saw right in front of the seawall.

Greater Sand Plover, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Similarly, Eastern Curlew and Whimbrel are not rare in Victoria but they are usually a long way away and I've never been able to get within 30 metres of them due to a combination of their lengthy flight distance and my lack of willingness to wade/crawl through mud. Here they were as close as 8 metres.

 

Eastern Curlew, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Their feeding behavious could be observed close-up, including going face-deep in the mud.

Eastern Curlew, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Whimbrel, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

I like this shot because it displays the distinctive dark brown crown with the pale central dividing line

Whimbrel, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

I could go for years without seeing either of these species in Victoria:

Grey-tailed Tattler, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Terek Sandpiper, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

and, for something completely different, not your usual mudflat species:

White-breasted Woodswallow, Esplanade, Cairns Qld

Kerang Daytrip

It has been a while since I had the camera out so decided to hit the road early this morning for a daytrip to the Kerang Lakes area. Primary target was to find Orange Chat that had been reported in the region recently but also wanted to try out the new flash and Better Beamer and walk off some of the Christmas pudding.

First stop was Goschen Reserve, which was surprisingly quiet but I did manage to find a few cooperative birds:

I found a tree with a pair of Striated Pardalotes that were very active so I slowly approached then stood still for about ten minutes while they came closer and closer, this one eventually landing on a dead branch only a few metres from me.

Striated Pardalote, Goschen Reserve

I also got the chance to use the flash to fill in the shadows on this bird. For today, the first time using this set-up, I just set the flash to TTL and let it do its thing.

Striated Pardalote, Goschen Reserve

This male Hooded Robin allowed me to approach quite close and stayed still long enough for me to take a few shots with and without flash.

Hooded Robin (male), Goschen Reserve

The flash worked well filling the sidelit shadow and balancing the exposure better with the sky but shooting from below the bird gave an unnatural extra catchlight in the bird's eye.

Hooded Robin (male), Goschen Reserve

A little touchup with Photoshop makes a much more pleasing image.

Hooded Robin (male), Goschen Reserve

Woodswallows were everywhere, mostly flying high over the treetops catching insects but a few stopped in the trees long enough for some shots.

White-browed Woodswallow (male), Goschen Reserve

Dusky Woodswallow, Goschen Reserve

There were Singing Honeyeaters in most areas of the reserve. This one provided another good opportunity for fill flash (again with a little Photoshop to clean up the eye)

Singing Honeyeater, Goschen Reserve

Next stop was Lake Lookout to find Orange Chat, where they had been seen recently. I did find several among the saltbush and grasses around the lake but impossible to photograph staying under the bushes and flushing when I got within 30 metres of them. Several similar birds were also feeding on the exposed lake bed so I thought I'd try for some photographs. With no cover near the lake shore, I needed a way of getting close. After watching the birds for a few minutes, I noticed that they would zig-zag along the lake shore feeding so I found a suitable spot to sit and wait for the birds to come past. This proved to be reasonably successful but their almost perpetual motion made them difficult to track and focus on. I needed to wait for the occasional split seconds where they stood still to look around. These turned out to be Australasian Pipit but worth the stalking challenge...

Australasian Pipit, Lake Lookout

Australasian Pipit, Lake Lookout

Australasian Pipit, Lake Lookout

...mostly they looked like this

Australasian Pipit, Lake Lookout

So, no photographs of Orange Chat - maybe next time...

Last stop was Reedy Lake in Kerang, where apart from the usual ibis and waterbirds, there were more woodswallows - a third species for the day.

White-breasted Woodswallow, Reedy Lake Kerang

and several Black Kites flying around low enough for some shots

Black Kite, Reedy Lake, Kerang

Black Kite, Reedy Lake, Kerang