As I was waiting for my daughter's netball game to start I looked up an saw a great duel between an bird of prey and some other bird. Set against the blue sky the shots would have been fantastic, except for the fact that I forgot to check the camera and had it set to very slow shutter from the last shots I did :(
By the time I got m y act together the Osprey or what ever it was had soared away and I was having difficulty picking it up in the intense blue sky. So I followed and ended up in the scrub ( as invariably happens). My results don't do justice to the beauty of the array of tiny birds I found there but here they are anyway:
Red backed fairy Wren
Reed Warbler ( a first for me to actually catch on camera)
Silver eye... also a first for me
Red browed finch who had just had a dip i the stream beside me
Female red backed FW (I think)
And one from t his morning at home, after this catbird flew into my window. The pair are at it again calling in the mornings so I think the nesting season must be about to start, though I thought it was later in the year.
Catbird
Saw and heard countless others, including a delightful little grey fantail who followed me about but stayed out of camera's reach LOL.
That's it for my day
Cheers
Birdie
Wow, what can I say birdie some wonderful photos, the Silvereye is a real top shot (despite the leaf thingys in the way) and I love the Finch and Catbird photos, is he eating something or is that just his beak? I was so annoyed, I went to the local bush area place and found some little white browed scrubwrens, I didn't have my camera so I had to make with the family camera, but for some reason I could never stop the photos from blurring, and so after about an hour of stalking the batteries ran out and I was left with a bunch of blurry photos, but it was a great experience. Also like the reedwarbler head peeking through :). Looks like an awesome time
Thanks Amateur
The catbird definitely had something in its mouth though I can't make out whether it was a berry or seed or if it was an insect. They love to eat a variety of fruity stuff from the tropical trees around here so more than likely it was a green palm berry or something.
I can understand your frustration with the blurry shots. Could be a variety of reasons for it. Little birds are so hard to get at the best of times, they move so damn fast and are masters of disguise behind little twigs and leaves etc. Believe me for every good shot that I manage on here , there are a number of woeful ones. The only one I jagged first time yesterday was the silvereye, but I had been following them for quite a while waiting for the chance to click!! Have you actually bought a camera for yourself that does the job? or are you still saving for the right kind ?
The main thing to remember with most of the above shots is that it was all manual focus and manual shutter speeds.
That reed warbler would be the hardest bird I have found yet to catch. I saw them at Hunter Wetlands, but couldn't even get the camera up to my eye before they flew. I didn't even know what it was till I checked with Tassie and then it was only on a noise description and a flash of colour LOL
You should see the pathetic job I did with the BOP.... I was disgusted with myself. I always get so excited that I can't get my act together when the unexpected happens, especially when it is out of context like carrying a bunch of stuff across a netball court!!
Have a good day Amateur
cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Wow Birdie, some really nice shots there and such a great variety to. Well done.
Thanks Tassie... hey do you (or anyone else here) know how I can tell a male an female catbird apart? I have looked everywhere but cannot find a reference to the differences in the sexes. I have to say that they all look the same to me! LOL
And the same question again for the female Fairy wrens... is the one above a Red Backed one? there were variegated FW in the same bushes. (but my picture was pretty ordinary so I didn't include it here).
One important thing to remember about the variety of different birds there is that although I thought it was "just a patch of scrub " between the water treatment plant and the netball courts, it actually did have a sign that said Eudlo Creek Conservation area.
Just goes to show you that it is soo important that councils allow for and care for these precious areas .
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Hey Birdie, the only thing I can tell about the Catbird in regards to sexing is that it is the mail that makes all the clicking sounds during courtship and it is he that will defend the area around their chosen nest site, usually an area of 15-20 metres.
The female does all the nest building and incubating on her own with the male constantly bringing food to the nest site.
Thank you for that
Sunshine Coast Queensland
I'm still looking around for a camera Birdie and to see all that at a netball game! I wish I saw all those birds at my soccer grounds, but I couldn't help but laugh when I was reading Tassie's post - Mail :)
Good onya Amateur! Yeah it would have made more sense with the "mail" bringing all the food ! LOL Didn't help me anyway as I hear the clicking sounds but can never work out which bird is making them ! I'll just have to wait till nesting time and see who is doing the shopping I guess :')
Seriously Amateur, the more interested in birds I am getting the more I am finding that so many pieces of scrubby land can be hiding a host of beautiful small birds. I have been going to that place for 3 years and have never seen any small birds. just the crows, Ibis etc. All I had to do was get up close and personal by a bunch of reeds and find a clearing into the bush ...and ... bingo..... like opening a jewellery box !! You'd be amazed at what a big clump of Lantana can be hiding even.
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
It was worth going into the scrub for all those birds. The catbird is spectacular - so sharp
Thanks Birdgirl, yes the catbird came out well considering I was taking it through one of my windows .... still haven't got round to cleaning them for this kind of situation! LOL Nothing else would make me go round cleaning windows that's for sure
:')
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland