Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis)
There are moments in a lifetime when you hear a song for the very first time and it hooks your ear and won't leave your head for days. Years later whenever it plays you know exactly where you were and even what you were doing when you heard it the first time.
I think it's like that with some birds. I know exactly where I was the first time I saw an EYR clinging on the side of a tree, and how I thought "wow, so awesome, it's so bold to choose such a close tree!".
On Sunday I stood motionless for a minute or two as this one's partner posed beautifully on a nearby branch. Till it plunged to earth, grabbed its prey, and moved to a more distant branch. I turned my head to the right to see this one (the partner) hanging out only three metres away, literally just behind me. How could I have been so unaware? Slowly I turned trying not to startle it... but that perfect photograph didn't happen (probably too close to focus on anyway) because it dropped to earth, inspected something and then took to this tree a few metres further away.
It doesn't matter how many times I get a "perfect" photograph of an EYR. Always take them.
This is handheld at 1/40. Was not much light in the area. So impressed with VC that enables 1/40. Focus is incorrectly on the back instead of the eye... now that I find quite tricky.
Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis)
There are moments in a lifetime when you hear a song for the very first time and it hooks your ear and won't leave your head for days. Years later whenever it plays you know exactly where you were and even what you were doing when you heard it the first time.
I think it's like that with some birds. I know exactly where I was the first time I saw an EYR clinging on the side of a tree, and how I thought "wow, so awesome, it's so bold to choose such a close tree!".
On Sunday I stood motionless for a minute or two as this one's partner posed beautifully on a nearby branch. Till it plunged to earth, grabbed its prey, and moved to a more distant branch. I turned my head to the right to see this one (the partner) hanging out only three metres away, literally just behind me. How could I have been so unaware? Slowly I turned trying not to startle it... but that perfect photograph didn't happen (probably too close to focus on anyway) because it dropped to earth, inspected something and then took to this tree a few metres further away.
It doesn't matter how many times I get a "perfect" photograph of an EYR. Always take them.
This is handheld at 1/40. Was not much light in the area. So impressed with VC that enables 1/40. Focus is incorrectly on the back instead of the eye... now that I find quite tricky.