We visited Newstead Cemetery on 28 December 2023 for the first time. Newstead Cemetery is famous for its Rainbow Bee-eater. When we got there, we immediately understood its infamy. It is ridiculously easy to photograph birds with an extremely clean and featureless background.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/500s f/6.3 ISO200
These photographs of a Striated Heron was taken on 1 November 2023 in Taman Tasik Shah Alam – a park in Malaysia. We wasn’t expecting to be taking photographs as the sunlight was rather harsh during the middle of the day. When this Striated Heron showed itself, I could resist and start snapping. To my surprise, the particular spot the heron was at had fairly decent soft filtered light.
The heron was on a path that is elevated. I was in a gully and pointed the camera at the bird while in a standing position. This provided a low camera position to capture these delightful images.
Nikon Z 9, AF-S NIKKOR 500MM F/5.6E PF ED VR, AF-S TC-14E III, FTZ II @ 700mm 1/640s f/8 ISO280
We visited Wicks Reserve on 17 March 2024 for the first time. This photograph of a Eastern Yellow Robin was taken on this ocassion.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/500s f/9 ISO1000
Earlier in the year, a male Australasian Darter made Oak Street Wetland it’s temporary home. This photograph was taken on 11 March 2024. When the Darter had his back towards me, I sneaked up behind him and positioned myself close to the water’s edge. To my surprise, he started turning around. That allowed me to take this frontal photograph of the Darter. Surprisingly, he didn’t realised that I was there until I stood up to leave.
The 800mm lens caused the shot to be quite tight. A 600mm lens would have been ideal in this situation. I was also in a squatting position to take the photograph through the viewfinder. In retrospect, I should have try taking this picture using the flip screen of the camera and held it lower just above the water. However, it could make it difficult to position the Darter within the frame.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/500s f/6.3 ISO6400
About 120 Galahs was observed at the oval next to Royal Park Trin Warren Tam-Boore in the morning of 20 June 2024. The one in the photograph is a male. You can tell that it is a male by the colour of his eyes.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/500s f/6.3 ISO280
Occasionally, we will encounter the Australian White Ibis at Royal Park Trin Warren Tam-Boore. A couple of Ibis turned up in the morning of 20 June 2024 at the oval next to the park. Ibis are common but can be quite difficult to photograph as they have black skin and white feathers which lend itself to over-exposure in bright sun light. Fortunately, that morning was overcast which provided a nice soft light that is ideal to capture a decent photograph of the Ibis.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/500s f/6.3 ISO720
This is another photograph of the resident Grey Butcherbird at Royal Park Trin Warren Tam-Boore. It was taken on 1 June 2024.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/800s f/6.3 ISO4000
The White-faced Heron is a very common bird in Australia. From time to time, I would observed that their feathers are made to stand up as depicted by the photograph. I am guessing it is part of their grooming process. This photograph was taken on 1 June 2024 at Royal Park Trin Warren Tam-Boore.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/400s f/6.3 ISO500
An oldie but a goodie. This is a macro photograph of a Honey Bee in our backyard taken on 10 December 2022. I should do more macro photography as I enjoy the details it can reproduce of tiny creatures that the naked eye could not see.
Nikon D850, AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED, Nikon SU-800 + 2 x Nikon SB-R200 (R1C1), Wimberley F-2 Macro Bracket, Crafty Bells bonnet diffuser @ 1/250s f/22 ISO400
Until recently, this female Mistletoebird has shown up at Royal Park Trin Warren Tam-Boore every time I visited. This photograph was taken on 1 June 2024. I am not sure if she has moved on to better feeding grounds or she is still lurking around. Hopeful, she would come back soon.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 1/800s f/6.3 ISO2200