My favourite garden visitor arrived today and melted my heart.
1/1000, f/4.0, ISO 4000, handheld
Canon R5, Canon RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM
This tiny Rufous Fantail (10g) was first glimpsed at lunchtime by my daughter. I raced to the window just in time to see it flying back to the bush from the birdbaths. I was working pretty hard in the garden today; mowing, sawing, collecting bark, weeding, all the usual jobs but I kept looking and listening for this exquisite migratory visitor that spends some summers at my place. They are insectivorous and feed mainly near the ground or in the mid-level of the canopy. They like deep shade in damp places, so my little patch of swampy riparian woodland seems to suit them nicely.
It reappeared much later in the afternoon, when the light was abysmal for bird photography. But I did my best with some quick setting changes, including an ISO of 4000, to capture a shot that gives me shivers of delight even though it’s far from perfect. I am totally besotted with these little fantails and I hope you are too.
Happy birding, Kim
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