Yank down under volume 3.1: Merimbula birds

[NorthernFocus]

We spent two nights in Merimbula. With the extensive access to the waterfront provided by the public boardwalk, I ended up with quite a few bird photos. Plus I finally got some shots of Rainbow Lorikeets which were everywhere we'd been in Oz so far but don't tend to sit still very long.

More white faced heron shots.





Superb fairy wren. These guys were around all the beach areas we visited.



A curlew and flock of bar-tailed godwits. Ironically these visit Alaska in spring/summer but I've never shot any.





A little wattlebird. I like this shot.



The lorikeets.





And some black swans. The next day we drove by a lake with hundreds of them but it was mid-day and they were all just sitting around with their heads under their wings.

[dje]

Dammed yanks, come down here and take better bird shots in 5 minutes than I've been able to take in 5 years ! Bah humbug.

Just kidding of course Dan. Nice set of shots. I've never seen those fairy wrens before but maybe they only live in the southern parts of the country. The lorikeets are hard to catch when they are feeding in a natural state like that as they move about so quickly.

Well done
Dave

[NorthernFocus]

Sorry about that, Dave. I have put my time in too though. And birds are birds. It was just different geography and brighter colored subjects.

Those little fairy wrens were pretty common down where we were. They didn't care for being approached but by sitting down after I saw one it came up within a meter of me as it fed.

I really wanted to get a shot of the lorikeets in flight. But that was a pipe dream as fast as they move. It was hard finding some that stayed put in one spot long enought to get a decent shot. I found that one bush that must have been at the exact perfect stage of flower because the lorikeets and wattlebirds were fighting over it. And that was the only place the lorikeets were willing to let me get close enough for full frame shots. I also got shots of a wattlebird in those flowers but I like the one posted here with its head stuck down in the different bloom.

[FootLoose]

I've never seen those fairy wrens before but maybe they only live in the southern parts of the country.

Dave

That surprises me, Dave, they are pretty common around here.

Nice photos Dan. The first shot of the Lorikeet has caught it in a typical aggressive pose.

[dje]

That surprises me, Dave, they are pretty common around here.

Or maybe I'm just not very observant !

[dje]

I really wanted to get a shot of the lorikeets in flight. But that was a pipe dream as fast as they move. It was hard finding some that stayed put in one spot long enought to get a decent shot. I found that one bush that must have been at the exact perfect stage of flower because the lorikeets and wattlebirds were fighting over it. And that was the only place the lorikeets were willing to let me get close enough for full frame shots. I also got shots of a wattlebird in those flowers but I like the one posted here with its head stuck down in the different bloom.

Yes getting a lorikeet in flight would be difficult. They must have a sweet tooth because they seem to love the nectar in those bottlebrush type flowers. At a tourist park on the Gold Coast, they feed them daily with honey impregnated bread.

[NorthernFocus]

Or maybe I'm just not very observant !

I doubt it. With the brite blue they definately stand out among the other LBBs. Though they don't flutter around like the fantails or Willie Wagtails. Once they land they seem to be hop along type ground feeders.

I could have shot closeups of lorikeets and crimson rosellas every morning in both Mallacoota and Merimbula. My wife and I had our coffee and toast on the motel patio and they would come sit on the railing begging within arms reach. Rather ironic considering how hard it was to find them sitting still in a natural setting. Later in our trip when we got to the Blue Mountains the rosellas weren't too hard to pin down.

[jamn4ex]

A great series Dan I really like 2 and 3.

[Sergio M.]

Another enjoyable series. Really like the wren.

Sergio