Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus November 5th, 2019 Lake Tyrrell, Sea Lake, Victoria, Australia Canon EOS 1D X Mark II Canon EF 600mm f4L IS II USM lens Canon EF 1.4x III Extender Loved spending time with these Woodswallows in the early morning light. The shallow water of the lake & dirt hills made for wonderful background colours. The weathered, dead trees that were dotted around the lake were a favourite with this species as they were the only feature of the landscape that offered any real aerial vantage points from which they would hunt insects.
Orange Chat (male) Epthianura aurifrons November 4th, 2019 Lake Tyrrell, Sea Lake, Victoria, Australia Canon EOS 1D X Mark II Canon EF 600mm f4L IS II USM lens Canon EF 1.4x III Extender This little Chat was an absolute beauty. I spent a few days targeting this species in Victoria's North last year. Spending some time with these birds, I was able to observe their behaviours. Each evening, just before sunset, this particular male would choose a staging area & proceed to call for several minutes, which I presume was to his mate whom was often in the same area. I was able to set myself up in the general area as the sun began to set & wait patiently for him to fly in & choose his perch. These birds are often very skittish, but during this evening routine, if I was very quiet & kept very low, I was able to get reasonably close without disturbing him.
