Powerful Owl Ninox strenua Vulnerable in Victoria November 11th, 2016 Wantirna South, Victoria, Australia Canon EOS 1D X Canon EF 500mm f4L IS II USM lens Canon 580EX II flash with extender
Red-necked Stint in partial breeding plumage Calidris ruficollis March 26th, 2017 Werribee, Victoria, Australia Canon EOS 1D X Canon EF 500mm f4L IS II USM lens Canon EF 1.4x III Extender
Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae June 3rd, 2017 Werribee, Victoria, Australia Canon EOS 1D X Canon EF 600mm f4L IS II USM lens Canon EF 1.4x III Extender One of my favourite & probably most interesting looking Australian waders - the Red-necked Avocet. Their oddly shaped bill & feeding technique, swishing their heads back & forth along the water & mud to filter out tasty morsels is something to behold. On this typically gloomy Melbourne winter's day I was rapt to find a flock of these beauties feeding on the shoreline as the tide was receding. Another very skittish bird, I couldn't believe how close these birds got to me - as I lay still on the shore smashing the shutter, the avocets were so busy feeding they got closer & closer until they were within just a few metres of me. Then to top it off the sun burst through the clouds for a few fleeting moments, just enough time to fire off a few shots as the sunlight brought out their full colours.
