Crested Pigeon close up
Crested Pigeon
We love having the Crested Pigeons in our garden and on our two hectare (5 acre) block. They are a resident breeding species here and we see them every day. I’ve never really done a census count on how many there are around here, but we always seem to have at least a a half dozen or more. On a few occasions I have counted up to about 40 perching on the power lines running along the road side.
Crested Pigeons make a flimsy nest of a few sticks and it always surprises me how the eggs can possibly stay in the nest. An even greater mystery is how the chicks remain in the nest. They must be able to cope because they are very successful birds, breeding frequently.
Our local resident pigeons regularly visit our bird baths. This gives me many opportunities to do photographic studies of this species. Yesterday the bird in this set of photos posed nicely for me, first in the shade (see below) and then closer to me in the sunlight.
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Dusky Moorhen and chick, Adelaide Zoo
Dusky Moorhen
One of our common water birds here in Australia is the Dusky Moorhen, shown in the photos on this post. This species is found throughout eastern and southern Australia, as well as south western Australia. The birds shown in these photos were swimming in one of the ponds in Adelaide Zoo. They were not captive birds but free flying birds who found that the environment within the zoo boundaries to be quite suitable for living – and breeding.
I was quite pleased with the photo above as it shows the interplay of light and shadows on the water, the ripples accentuating the effects of the light.
Dusky Moorhen and chick
I have a new camera
Canon Powershot SX20IS
Most of the photos on this site have been taken with a Canon Powershot S2IS. It has been a good workhorse camera for me over the last five and a bit years. The results shown on this site speak for themselves. The S2 has been superseded by several models since its release but it was perfectly adequate for my needs. I bought the camera specifically for a trek in the Himalayas and the Everest region in January 2006 (read about it here.)
The Canon Powershot S2 IS features 12x zoom and 5 megapixels. The 12x zoom has been particularly useful for taking bird photos, but often I was left wanting just a little more. A recent set of circumstances has led me to upgrade to the Canon Powershot SX 20 IS (see photo above). This is a run-out model, being superseded by the Powershot Sx 35 IS. I knew about this new model but reviews I read were not all that complimentary, so I dismissed that model, despite the extra zoom. It was also double the price.
The one I bought was actually on sale for less than half its listed RRP. Not only have I scored a bargain, my first impressions are very favourable. The 20x zoom is great and at 12.1 megapixels the photos should also be impressive. Sure, you can get cameras that are far more impressive, greater zoom, more features, more megapixels and so on, but you’d pay a lot more than I have.
I’d love a top of the range digital SLR with all the bells and whistles, but I carry enough gear when birding; I don’t want to have to carry several lenses, tripod and so on. It’s a choice I’ve made; lightness and convenience won the day, as well as price.
I still have quite a few photos to share here taken with the old camera but those taken with the new one should start appearing here soon. Some of the first photos taken with the new camera have appeared on my blog Trevor’s Travels here and here and here. One of the first bird photos taken with the camera appears below.
Good birding.
New Holland Honeyeaters and House Sparrow bathing
Pacific Black Ducks, Laratinga Wetlands
Pacific Black Duck, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia
Pacific Black Ducks and Grey Teal are probably the most common and well known ducks found in Australia. They are very common in parks, on lakes, rivers and reservoirs and can even be found in private gardens. More than once we’ve had ducklings in our swimming pool.
They are one of most recognisable birds and are very popular in public parks and gardens where people love to feed them. I don’t encourage this practice as the food – often bread – is not only unsuitable for ducks, it is potentially harmful to them.
Pacific Black Ducks are generally quite unafraid of people, especially in public places like the Laratinga Wetlands in South Australia. This makes them excellent subjects for photography.
Further reading:
Pacific Black Duck, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia
Superb Fairy wrens, Laratinga Wetlands
Superb Fairy-wren, Laratinga Wetlands, South Australia
The Laratinga Wetlands at Mt Barker in the Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia have been established now for over 11 years. During that time the various ponds and the surrounding areas have been planted up with many native trees, bushes, grasses and water plants. The area is now an excellent habitat for both water birds and bush birds.
Every where I walked along the various paths on a recent visit I heard and saw families of Superb Fairy-wrens. There seemed to be plenty of them, but sometimes they can be frustrating little birds to photograph. They can move so quickly when chasing flying insects to eat that one has to be very quite focussing on them to get a shot. Many times I’ve taken excellent photos of the twig or branch where the bird was sitting a fraction of a second earlier!
In other places this species can be a delight to photograph as they pose on picnic tables or hop around between your feet. I guess I have to be grateful when a bird poses nicely with enough light and time enough to focus and compose the shot. It certainly makes this an interesting and challenging hobby.
Related articles:
- Wrens and cockatoos (this one has a better photo of a male wren)
- Great Birding Moments: Superb Fairy-wrens
- Superb Fairy-wren, Botanic Gardens, Canberra