13 posts tagged “wildlife photography”

A few weeks ago I visited Currumbin Valley in the Gold Coast Hinterland,  Queensland which is one of the most beautiful places I have been to.  The  drive through the valley was stunning with canopies of green trees over-hanging the narrow  roadway which wound its way past  homesteads, scattered along this scenic drive.  It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning  with hardly any other traffic on this secluded twisty road.  I had my binoculars, sketch books and camera gear with me, ready for a photo shoot adventure.

I started my walk at a Creek where I parked my gear on a wooden bench and noticed that there were lots of dragonflies and damselflies skimming above the water.  I was lucky enough to get a few good macro shots of the obliging critters who rested on stones, reeds and flowers, sunning themselves on this glorious morning.

Nature Journal - Scarlet Percher Dragonfly - a vivid red colour all over and very striking

Nature Journal - Redrump Wisp Damselfly - tiny with a noticable bright red tipped tail.

As I was sketching and taking photographs, I could hear a cacophony of birds in the nearby trees of the rainforest but there was not another soul about and the quiet serenity of the rainforest is very special - I had the whole creek to myself and the morning sun was getting hotter.  I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn't see him at first.  He was quietly perched on the far side of the creek, fanning his wings, then preening himself and watching me from afar.

A juvenile little pied cormorant

This little fellow then flew over to a tree log which was positioned over the pond and he proceeded to groom himself right in front of me without a care in the world and he was completely unphased by my presence or the camera.  I was moving slowly the whole time though making sure not to startle him and he allowed to get very close.  He was quite small and I had suspected that he might be a youngster.  It was a very special moment and to be completely alone with a wild creature of any kind is an amazing experience, especially when they trust you.

Such a beautiful bird and you can tell he is a youngster by the dark plumage above the eye and his head feathers were sort of fluffy.  Here he is right in front of me, fanning his wings and drying them off.

He was constantly on the alert and looking around him and in the water the whole time then he seemed to be aware of my presence and looked straight at me but was not alarmed and continued to be on the look out for food or predators by the Creek.

Nature Journal of the Little Pied Cormorant

After checking out potential predators, grooming and drying off his wings in the mid morning sun, my juvenile friend then flew down to the pond to find some tucker and he kept ducking and diving - this bird has the most peaceful, idyllic, undisturbed habitat and he is so lucky to be in this gorgeous rainforest environment with plentiful water, food and potential mates. I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet time we had together but I decided to leave him to find his food and move on in my rainforest walk.

There was a really strange insect who kept appearing along the Creek and when I got close he seemed to be "walking on water" with very long legs.  I have never seen this insect before and did not have a clue as to what he might be.  He certainly impressed me with his ability to walk on the water without disappearing below the surface so it piqued my interest and I tried to get as close as I could to him in order to identify the critter.

Nature Journal of the Water Strider

After doing some research I discovered that this pond walking critter is a water strider or pond skater which is a very apt name considering what I saw him do and walk normally as if there was no water under his long legs!  He seemed to float above the water and dart across it which was fascinating to witness.  How lucky this fellow is to live by a Creek and to hunt insects in and near water without having to actually enter the water of view the water as an obstacle.

Gorgeous ferns along the banks of the Creek as I continued my walk and when I got to a particular point,  further along the Creek, there were lots of butterflies who kept fluttering around and above me and then one rested on the ground very near me so I grabbed the opportunity to record him in my journal. I had no idea what kind of butterfly this was as normally butterflies do not simply rest in front of you, let alone stay long enough for a photo shoot so I was a bit unprepared but ready to meet the challenge and as I scurried around changing to a macro lense, the butterfly was still content in the same place!  I always get a bit nervous and trigger snappy when I see rare opportunities like this with the problem of rushing my shots, knowing that "the moment" will disappear in a millisecond.  I began to relax as this female butterfly seemed intent on keeping me company for a while and posing for the odd moment or two.  Thank you Mam!

Nature Journal - The Common eggfly butterfly

As I continued my walk along the Creek, there were these magnificent red flowers along the banks and I had to precariously balance on the periphery of the Creek bank to get a decent shot. There were also a few toadstools nestling amongst the damp, glistening  grass blades with perfectly shaped little hats.

I eventually wandered away from the Creek and trudged up along a steep and narrow, well worn, tree canopied path accompanied all the time by the pleasant bird songs including the occasional owl hoot but the owls must have been perched way up in the high tree hollows because I could not see any.  Hot and sticky from the climb, I was rewarded by arriving at a large pond and to get there, the track was downhill.  Long reeds, swaying grasses and colourful flowers lined the banks of this gorgeous pond and I immediately spotted a laughing kookaburra who greeted me as I arrived with his raucous laugh.

This kookaburra ended up following me for the rest of my walk and he flew from tree to tree, just in front of me all all the way as I took in the gorgeous flora and fauna in his domain.  I looked up behind the trees to the misty hills in the background and low cloud was still shrouding the cool blues and greens of the steep cliff face.  Lots of wild flowers lined the pond in magnificent hues attracting insects who fed on the nectar and pollen and drank from the fresh dew drops of  late morning.

A Wanderer Caterpillar is happily munching on this plant.

I wandered further along this gorgeous pond and saw a pair of  pacific black ducks who were feasting on the green plant life by the pond. I have never seen ducks eat plants before.  My kookaburra friend led me deeper into the rainforest alongside the pond and I caught a very quick glimpse of a king parrot in the high tree tops above me and listened to the shrill chorus of  rainbow lorikeets in the nearby trees.

A pair of pacific black ducks

More and more plants and seed pods intrigued me as I tread alongside the swimming ducks and the variety of colours and smells invaded my senses as I quickly sketched and photographed them.  Insects would appear from nowhere of all shapes and sizes, often sharing flowers with others.

You can just see a well camouflaged flower spider on these two milkweed flowers.

Dandelion Seed and Blackwood

All of a sudden, my kookaburra companion flew higher up to tree branches on the other side of the pond and I could hear the soft screeches of his hungry youngsters.  Fantastic wildlife behaviour in their natural habitat and it was almost as if he was leading me to his family and introducing them to me.

Dew drops on milkweed flowers.

This is a stunning place and I certainly will never forget my bush trek here and all the flora and fauna which were new to me and I have recorded in my nature journal.  My favourtie moments were the fleeting friendships of the cormorant and laughing kookaburra.

I've just discovered this magazine which I think is published in America so I don't know if I can get it in my Newsagency in Australia.

"NATURE'S BEST PHOTOGRAPHY magazine is the award-winning flagship publication of Nature’s Best Publishing LLC. It is a large format, quarterly publication that offers a showcase presentation of nature recorded by the world’s leading photographers, naturalists, and adventurers. You will find articles that feature wildlife, landscapes, plant life, nature travel, how-to tips, inspirational essays, and lots more! We also feature unknown photographers and amateurs just beginning their journey into the amazing world of outdoor photography." quote from their Website at

Nature's Best Magazine Website

 

There are photography competitions to enter every year and they have various categories such as:-

Cute Overload - unusual animals

I stumbled across this website called Cute Overload and the pictures are fantastic.  I thought that the group would appreciate them.

Some of my favourites but there are so many it's worth a browse .....

I watched this movie last weekend after reading that it had received good reviews.  I have to confess that I cried through most of this movie and loved it.  I know that Disney movies tend to be "feel-good and glamorized" and this movie was all of this but I highly recommend it because it is based on a true story and displays the powerful and loyal relationship between animals and humans.  I totally fell in love with the huskies!  Watch this movie if you can and let me know what you think.

Panda sneezing!

This is quite funny!

 

I own this book and actually bought it when it was on special.  It contains black & white photography of zoo creatures and the photography is tremendous.  Lots of very large, artistic close-up photographs allowing us to see incredible detail of feathers, fur and scales ... I highly recommend this book if you happen to see it in your local bookstore.  A quote from the photographer .....

"Why? It's a question I asked myself more than once during the two years it's taken to put these photographs together.  I asked it watching a lioness rip the hell out of a six hundred dollars worth of canvas backdrop, having first, with critical economy, peed on it.  I asked it as the white rhino stood bum to camera for a myopic eternity staring at a similarly expensive backdrop and then horned into it.  As I drove to Dubbo for the fourth time to try to nail that same rhino, I asked the question again.  And again when the male mute swan decided to kill me, and again when I stepped in wet tiger poo - perhaps the worst smell on earth.  When my face and the camera were covered in a monster spider web of giraffe saliva I almost stopped asking it.  At least the giraffe was being friendly.  After experiencing the Richter - scaling, electrifying eternity of the African elephant's fart, the question ceased to seem relevant"

 

 

I would like to share with you a favourite book of mine which is an inspiring and trully delightful record of an artists' paintings & sketches from the Isle of May in Scotland.

 

Those of you that have read my "About me" on my blog will know that I am originally from Scotland and now live in Australia although I have never been to the Isle of May which lies at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, just over five miles south-east of the Scottish villages of Crail and Anstruther in Fife. This island is internationally important for its large colonies of breeding seabirds. I would imagine it to be very remote and ruggedly beautiful.  Here is an extract from the introduction of the book - Keith Brockie's own words ....

"The rising sun silhouettes the puffins standing on top ot the rocks, while hundreds more whirr overhead on their tiny wings.  Lesser black-backed gulls wheel in alarm above my head, annoyed at this bleary-eyed intruder emerging into the dawn from the building known as the Low Light; the gulls' nearest nest is not thirty yards from the front door.  All around me, echoing across the sea, are the soft cooing-calls of the eider drakes displaying to the ducks.  Fulmars soar effortlessly over the busy kittiwake colony whose nests are situated on precarious cliff ledges.  The dew glistens on the flower-white sea campion.  The sea crashes continually on the rocks below, and a gentle breeze wafts the pungent aroma of the seabird cliffs up into the atmosphere. It is a feast of sight, sound and smell - this early summer day on the Isle of May, my home and workplace for most of 1983".

 

Keith carries all of his drawing equipment in a multi-pocketed fisherman's vest including a small drawing board and assorted coloured papers plus a piece of foam rubber for a cushion.  The majority of his field sketching is drawn via a telescope mounted on a tripod which leaves his hands free to hold the board and sketch.  The use of the telescope distances Keith from the subject allowing him a more relaxed attitude in the creature than if he was sitting near enough to cause it alarm.

 

 

 

This is a page from this outstanding book

HAND-PAINTED SILK ITEMS

These are some of my hand-painted silk items I sold to galleries in Australia ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite an amusing little video of a chimp doing what comes naturally!

Here is an example of a page from one of my recommended books "Dieting Causes Brain Damage" by Bradley Trevor Greive and a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously....