Well, as usual it is the best bird sighting day that I ran out of batteries. We went up to Maleny on the Blackall Range and had lunch at Mary Cairncross park. I have previously always been there in Winter and been pretty underawed by what I have seen . Still, I threw the camera in and we took the rainforest walk. After not many meters we met a couple doing a bird count , first sighting - a pair of brown cuckoo doves very clear and close. After talking with these people we were given ideas of what to expect and off I went chasing a rufous fantail. After 3 shots the battery died. this left me with the rest of the walk and the most sightings I have ever had in one day at close range yet.
Came across 1/. many rufous fantail opportunities
2/ Pale Yellow Robins ( several different opportunities)
3/ Eastern Whipbirds M & F absolutely close-up and fearless
4/More green catbirds than you can stand to listen to at one time
5/Logrunner at close-up
6/Female Wompoo Dove on the nest with chick beside her fully fledged!!!!!!!! So pretty it was unbelievable
7/ Spectacled monarch sitting on nest within 3 feet of me right beside the walking track. ( I had previously walked right by her and the birdwatching people took me back to show her to me.
8/ Little woodswallow ( I think) up close
9/ Yellow-throated scrubwrens and chicks all over the forest floor and path - totally unafraid and hoppping everywhere around me
10. 5-6 Pademelons eating side by side with the scrub wren chicks
Needless to say , it was like walking into a Steve Irwin set for me and YES I DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA :'(
just had to get this story out to my fellow photographers to share the pain . ;')
I am going back again, this time with the aerogard , it was amazing!
Cheers
Birdie
Forgot to put this little guy in!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Lol, the worst I've ever had is today where I missed some shots of a purple crowned lorikeet which I had never seen before who sat up beautifully on a branch for me and also missed a beatuiful bird which was all yellow sitting on top of a bush, which I think was possibly a yellow honeyeater, EU goldfinch or a race of silvereye. Nothing comapred to you though! Never a good time for the battery to die aye, I'm sure several other sad stories will stem from this :) Love the Rufous fantail btw.
I feel your pain, Birdie. Hopefully the birds will still be there when you return. Nice shot of the fantail. I look forward to seeing the results of your return visit. A second battery is a worthwhile investment.
Cheers,
George
Melbourne, VIC
Thanks GeorgeP and amateur, , I always get lulled into a false sense of security with my battery pack as it lasts for such a long time. Don't have any spare money for a 2nd one just now. up till now I have always advocated having a camera that runs on AA's just for that reason. But not possible with the current SLR.
As has been mentioned before though, it was really an experience of living and taking in the moment. It is very humbling and at the same time exciting to share in their world at such a close range. I know I am sounding all gushy but we are soo lucky to have these places to go to.
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Aww Birdie, I bet you not happy,we have all been there though.
Oh well at least you saw them.
That's a gorgeous shot of a RFT. A bird I have been trying for several months to get a shot of, too quick for me. That's just perfect though, did you superglue the ground? :)
Looking forward to seeing the supercharged shots of return visit.
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Hi Birdie, at least you could see all the birds, no camera's run of AA bats any more thats why I got a second battery.
Cheers
John
Hi Birdie
A sad tale, once my indicator shows 1 bar or if I'm going to be out a long time, the spare is in my pocket and stays there until needed.Check out the prices of non branded batteries, they can be a lot cheaper, my spares are non-Canon and sometimes it's hard to tell which give the best performance. A trick worth a try in an emergecy is to but the battery somewhere warm (armpit)for a few minutes, this will sometimes give you a few more minutes.
John, some of the powerpacks allow the use of AAs but most cameras go through them very quickly.
Ed Townsville NQ
Hi everyone
Yes I will have to invest in a 2nd battery one day. My husband doesn't share my enthusiasm for spending money on photography stuff unfortunately :')
They bought me a monopod for Xmas as I thought that was what I needed to help me get sharper pics. I have tried to use it but it was so difficult that I haven't taken it out since the first time!! Trouble is with these small birds that they move so fast. Does anyone else use a monopod or a tri? How do you guys get the totally sharp pics? I mean apart from the fact that some have better lenses. I just can't keep the lens still at 300m. It is either that or my manual focus is just not good enough because of my glasses etc.
Ed or Tassie, could you take a look at my wren under ID's and see if you can help me out. I had a great day up near Gympie yesterday in the 38deg heat at a friends acreage. It was full of tiny birds near his waterhole. They all looked great through the lens !!! :'D
I am getting very addicted to this small bird stuff !!
Cheers everyone
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland