Hi all,
During a very pleasant Sunday at the Western Treatment Plant just out of
Melbourne (Werribee) I took an interesting sequence of images with my
new camera and a scope.
Way off across a pond was a Great Egret, seen in full left profile. As
it paused to strike an un-known beast in the grass I took a series of
shots. First was a nice image of the Egret on point, then with a fresh
caught mouse. Following were a series of swallowing the mouse and the
bill changing from yellow to blood-coloured. Final image was of the bird
back on the stalk.
What I didn't notice until I got home though was; the right leg of the
Egret was black (dark) to the feathers and the left was yellow. I
thought of mud, but a hard trick to muddy one leg to the belly with no
mud on the left leg or on the feathers. And I thought of shadows, but I
have a sequence and all show the same colouring, yellow left, dark
right.
Probably not unique, but I thought it interesting how a photo can show
what is missed when one is concentrating on a mouse going down a gullet.
We then settled down to our own lunch in the winter sun and tried to
take photos of a Raven. I swear that birds know the instant one is going
to take a photo - they wait, they watch, preen, and then, just as the
focus and light are perfect and the finger presses down - they call
"gotcha" and fly!! Result? Tail feathers, exiting stage (frame) right.
The weekend before it was a Bittern not 10 meters from the car, in the
clear, bill pointed to the heavens, framed in reeds, perfect, focused,
then gone before the button clicked.
But what a wonderful Sunday outing. A total count of 70 species.
Wouldn't miss it for quids.
regards
Jen
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