Today I took a photograph that will always be special to me.
1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 800
Canon 5DSR, Canon 200-400mm L IS USM EXT
I’ve been watching birds through the window for the past few weeks when I wasn’t well enough to be outside with my camera gear. This week has been different. The sun shone, the birds bathed, and I watched them for hours from beneath my fabric hide.
On the first day all that turned up was a lone Brown Thornbill that kept in the shade. Yesterday I managed a shot of a Crimson Rosella, some distant magpies and several rabbits. Today was magical. Several small species turned up, including Brown Thornbills, Striated Thornbills, Red-browed Finches, Eastern Spinebills, a New Holland Honeyeater and a Grey Fantail.
I especially like photographing small birds and at 12cm and about 11g these tiny Silvereyes definitely qualify. This bird is Zosterops lateralis, the sub-species that migrates here from Tasmania. The local birds, Zosterops westernesis, don’t have the rich brown sides of the visitors. I’ve just noticed that their sides match their irises. The yellows and pinks in the background are the retained autumn leaves and the new blossoms of a weeping apricot.
My apologies for sharing another Silvereye so soon after sharing the Birding from the Bathtub post, but I can’t stop smiling when I think about today and look at this shot.
Happy birding, Kim
~ Facebook page Kim Wormald – lirralirra
~ Facebook group Ethical Bird Photography
Running out of adjectives. Love getting the bird pictures even if it to see how some else views them. I remember the first time I saw them without binoculars and almost thought they were another bird as I realized how small and fragile they were.
That’s so true Togram! I’m usually looking at birds either through a long lens or my binoculars and I feel exactly the same when I see them close up, it’s enchanting and amazing to see how tiny they are. How do they ever manage to cope with the extremes of weather.
Beautiful bird and you caught the personality nicely. Glad you are feeling better.
Spectacular photo of the quickest and cutest little birds, thank you. They also have lovely little voices and I love seeing them.
Beautiful!
Beautiful little bird Kim. Angus and I do hope you are better soon and send our warm best wishes.
Apologies TOTALLY unneccessary. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful charmer.
What a cutie this little fellow is also so good to see and hear you are back to doing what you do best .
Your photo’s are always such a pleasure to view also detail is so great to see in your photo!s Keep up the excellent work.
No need to apologise for posting another Silvereye, Kim. Gorgeous photo! Love these little guys. I only ever get to see the Tassie ones. The first year that I saw them, I think might have been in my second year of photography. They all turned up and the bushes with all the seeds were abundant with them. I had never before witnessed anything like it. They were so funny. Not great photos as they were moving so fast and I hadn’t mastered the camera yet and how to capture things moving fast. Damn! How I wish I could turn back time! Now they seem to be sneakier or I must be getting slower as I hear them coming but then they just dive under the bushes or into the tops of the trees.