Heavenly honeyeaters

It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to photograph birds at my Trust for Nature property (oh how I love being able to write that clause!) but I got out there for an hour this afternoon and was treated to a wonderful show of splashes, ruffles and preens.

New Holland Honeyeaters live at my place and are real characters to watch. Often just one will turn up at the bird baths, perching in one of the trees overhanging the baths and acting as a sentinel. Shortly after this the family group will turn up and bathe. I have three birdbaths clustered in this shrubby area with clear areas around it to help protect the bathers from ground based predators. Looking at the splashing it’s no wonder I have to fill the birdbaths so frequently.

I’m super happy with the shot above. I really like it when birds ruffle their feathers and look so fluffy. The fine feathers visible at each side of this honeyeater look particularly gorgeous. I also like the way its feet are clinging onto the edge of the birdbath. There is a branch across the other side of the bath that they generally use but today they preferred perching here.

One of the honeyeaters flew up to an open branch in the sunshine to preen. If you’re a photographer you might notice that I was able to significantly change the camera settings for the preening shots: the shutter speeds are faster, the depth of field is deeper, and the ISO is lower.

This honeyeater flew to the top of the weeping apricot. They have such an intense look! The curve of its wing is very appealing in this shot.

Happy birding, Kim

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