Yank down under Volume 2: The Coota

[NorthernFocus]

Mallacoota, Victoria (aka the Coota) is a tiny town on the coast surrounded by miles of national park land. Working in the park, tourism, and diving for abalone drive the local economy. We chose it as a destination because 1) it has a long, sandy beach, 2) it's in the middle of the national park, 3) it's almost exactly half way between Sydney and Melbourne. And although it wasn't one of my bride's priorities, it is also adjacent to a river estuary and two lakes which HAD to mean birds/wildlife.

As mentioned in my prior post, the halfway too Melbourne aspect became moot due to how excellent the beach and wildlife were. We had planned two nights but ended up staying three and then heading back north to visit some of the beaches we had previously passed by at 80-100km/hr. That decision was made the first day after seeing the natural beauty and abundance. I guess we've reached the age to have outgrown the greener grass attitude and simply enjoy what's in front of us.

Anyway, with abundant birdlife and several dozen kangaroo camped out on the golf course, there was no shortage of subject matter between visits to the beach. Now like any wildlife photographer knows, just because the critters are there doesn't mean they are doing anything interesting. The kangaroo particularly turned out to be pretty boring critters after the initial newness wore off. So I set out to try to make them look more interesting...

This shot had the most promise but all three of them just wouldn't look at the same time before they decided to move apart.



Same BG. I was shooting between rain showers. The roos were soaked. I had no idea kangaroos had such claws.



Then there's the requisite joey in the pouch shot. This one is so big that its back legs and head are both sticking out. With the limited time I spent with them I never did get a shot with both looking at the same time.



I thought the way the stretched out was hilarious. Not a care in the world. Check out the way the front legs are folded.



Somebody finally did something interesting. Joey on the run.



And we did actually see a few other than on the golf course or legs up on the road.





In addition to the koala and kangaroo, our stay at the Coota also yielded one of my favorite shots of the trip. The proverbial kookaburra in the old gum tree.



And a few more. First BIF of the trip was this white faced heron.



Little black cormorant



And one of the hardest of the entire trip, a grey fantail.



Next stop is Merimbula.

[dje]

Hi Dan

Glad you enjoyed it down under. Great set of wildlife shots. And yes you really nailed it with the Kookaburra- quintessential Aus.

Dave

[Stagecoach]

Great series Dan, thanks for sharing.

Grahame

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Nancy Moran G]

Nice story, having fun following along.
Cute Kangaroos, and wow, claws. Love the egret shot for color, clarity.
Nancy

[deetheturk]

More cracking images Dan,cheers for sharing.

David

[Sergio M.]

Nice series. Love the heron.

Sergio

[terrib]

Great shots, Dan. The lighting on the first few Kangaroo shots is really nice. I smiled at the lounging Kangaroo too. Or maybe it was Kangaroo yoga?

[jprzybyla]

Great series Dan. While the roos appear wondrous and unique I have read and seen they can be quite dangerous to people. I envy you my friend Australia is on my bucket list.

[John 2]

More great images Dan but 1 & 4 and the Kookaburra are stand outs for me. Keep 'em coming.

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you folks enjoyed the photos. Thanks for looking and commenting.