I’m such a Twitcher!

This could possibly be my next tattoo! 

I’ve loved Eagles for as long as I can remember.  Not all birds, just Eagles.  Now-a-days I love all birds big and small, but Eagle still have an extra special place in my heart.  So it was only natural once I had a camera with the capabilities to do so, that I would start taking photos of Eagles.  I remember almost 20 years ago showing someone a photo of a Brahminy (Little Brown Kite) flying off along the beach.  They were like ‘where’?? haha, I pointed to a little dot on in the middle of the photo with such pride, they looked at me like a weirdo, with a questioning expression.   It took a while, but I’ve got much better at taking, or at least at deleting the bad, photos of my beloved Eagles.  Still the little Brahminy with it’s smaller size and faster movement alludes me of that ‘great’ shot.

Last year I was camping on the river with friends, they thought nothing of it when I kept standing up to take photos of the sea eagle watching us from a tree near by.  It was a new girl to the group, who hadn’t been camping with me before, who finally said: “So you are a bit of a Twitcher then”?  I was almost shocked, what do you mean I’m a twitcher?  Old people in rain coats with nothing better to do with their lives are twitchers.  I just like taking photos of birds, actually just eagles!  So NO I’m not a twitcher!  I just take photos of birds!  

A few weeks later, obviously I’d been thinking about it ever since it was said, I went to my camping buddy and confessed to be ‘such a f twitcher’!! hahaha  No one was surprised, they were more surprised why it was such a big deal to me! Hahaha

I was reminded of this funny little episode in my life, the other day when I was writing a blog about Cooking Risotto, and I had to put a bird photo at the end of it.  Nothing to do with Cooking Risotto, or anything at all to do with what I’d been talking about in the blog, but I had to chuck in a random bird photo??  Given it was a bloody good photo, and I had a right to be proud of it!  But the taking of it is a ‘twitcher’ story of it’s own.  I was typing out the Risotto Blog, before turning on the internet.  I seen something from the corner of my eye.  What bird was that, I look at Johnno, who is eating crackers and says ‘what bird’.  The beautiful Kestrel had landed very close to our tent.  I snuck out with zoom lens on, but it stayed there anyway.  It watched me closely, I love it when they look at ya! I got closer, it just kept watching me.  Not sure how close I could have gotten, but due to my rushing out, worried of it flying away, I hadn’t put any footwear on, and there was a field of prickles between me and it.  Satisfied I’d ‘got the shot’, I thanked the beautiful bird and rushed inside to download the photos, instead of finishing my Risotto blog.  So really I guess it is fitting that the photo went with that blog, even if it had nothing to do with cooking!

1st Photo I took from tent door!

Kestrel watching me as I sneak up on it.

Love it when they look at ya!

Walked behind just because it was being so good just sitting there!

Charlie, my dog, wasn't so trusting looking, scared it off!

The only other photo I have ever managed to take of a Kestrel was many years ago when we were camped at Warrora Station near Exmouth.  I seen it sitting on a little branch close to camp, very similar to the one talked about above.  I managed to walk very close to it, but because I had my smaller lens on the bird looked smaller in the photo than it did me standing right next to it.  Lesson in wild life photography learnt!  I still loved that photo even just for the memory of the moment, how that little bird was so brave, trusting or knowing that I wasn’t going to (be able) to hurt it.  To be able to get that close again all these years later makes my heart dance.  They are now on my favourite bird list.

The first time I saw a photo of a White Belled Sea Eagle was 18+ years ago when we started head North, leaving Perth on our first camping adventure.  I picked up a brochure for Lake Argyle and there it was, wings stretched out wide with the clearest blue sky behind it.  I’ve loved that shot ever since, and now have a million of my own from all over the West Coast.  I specially love the way they look at you as they fly over.  Like a tiny connection for a brief moment in time.  

There were 4 Sea Eagle at Willie Creek, which I was very surprised at, I’m sure they have their own turf?  Made me think that the pearl farm might be feeding them during their tours.   They use to have a feeding board at Kimberley Coast Camp, and I was able to get many wonderful photo of them there.  I even got one of my most favourite photos of all time off that board. A Brahminy (which I don’t have many good photos of remember), trying to pick up a fish head that was too big for it.  His wings reached straight up with the most amazing yellow sun setting right at his wing tips!! PERFECT!!  There we were able to set the tripod up close to the board, taking photos my remote control so as not to be anywhere near the birds.  It’s much harder getting ‘the shot’ off the beach, hand held, not knowing where the birds are going to fly next.  But I have managed…

Love it when they look at ya!!

Just a few of the Great shots i've been getting at Quondong point

There seems to be two main Sea Eagles here at Quondong Point, which is more normal.  I wonder how far their turf reaches, they could be 2 of the 4 we seen at Willie Creek.  We have left Bluebone heads on the rock in front of camp regularly, which they already seen to come looking for, smart birds, didn’t take them long, but with the neap tides we haven’t been catching bluebone.

One beautiful calm, but overcast morning we were fishing off the beach.  Because it was overcast I hadn’t brought my big canon down to the beach, thinking it wasn’t that good a ‘photo taking’ day.  BOY was I wrong!!!  Thankfully I had my GoPro on my head, I rarely go anywhere without some kind of camera.  So I was able to at least record the action for later reminiscing, even if it’s all a bit small on screen for sharing.  John had caught a very large Mullet in his throw net, so big we filleted it for the dogs lunch (actually we wanted to try it, but it was HORRIBLE so the dogs got it!).  We left the carcass on the beach knowing that the Sea Eagles would come for it.  This is when I would normally say ‘no wait, keep it hidden until I get my good camera’, but being all relaxed and in slow mo mood, just hanging around the beach, I was like Meh I’ve got lots of good shots.  WELL, there is always one better Karen: Another lesson learnt!!

The first Sea Eagle swooped down to pick it up, but had trouble, I think it was too heavy, it almost stalled.  Would have been perfect shot number one!  She couldn’t fly with it very well, so landed at the base of the sand dunes, only 100m from where we were fishing.  Could have been another great shot!  She stayed there until the second Eagle came, I’m saying she, because the second came to steal her food, so I’m guessing that’s ’HIM’, haha.  They quacked (have you heard the noise Sea Eagles make, such a funny sound for such an amazing bird), and flapped wings and pulled at the carcass, playing tag of war just off ground level.  Wings going everywhere, spinning in a circle, a million wonderful photos missed there!!  Then one of them flow over the dunes, leaving the other sitting there looking down the beach at us, as if to say, well have you got another one?  She just sat there watching us.  I’ve stalked them before, trying to get photos, so I know they can sit on a rock for bloody HOURS!!  It was all too much, I was already mad at myself for not having my camera, and missing so many great photos, so I ran up to get my good camera, while Johnno hunted mullet with the throw net to feed the waiting Eagle.

I knew the second Eagle wouldn’t be back for some time, that big carcass would keep him munching for a while.  But was happy to get another of my most favourite shot, the Sea Eagle, flying right over top of me, looking down working out if we have food.  She knew we did, she didn’t take off until she seen Johnno waving a fish in the air at her.  We had to hold Charlie back, one she love chasing birds anyway, a game she played in the back yard at Derby, but now she loves chasing fish when we release them as well.  So she was in over drive, a big eagle to chase,and fish getting thrown around.

Charlie chasing the White Belled Sea Eagle

Johnno through the much smaller, but still bigger than normal bait sized Mullet up the beach.  The Sea Eagle swopped, picking up the much more managable sized fish first try.  As she flow off Charlie broke into a sprint that would do a grey hound proud trying to catch up.  What would she do if she did catch up, I wasn’t worried the Eagle was off over to the next beach, and I had a hundred photos to sort, Yes some that I am very happy with!

Little Brown Wren's

 Little birds are much harder to get photos of, not just because of there size, but mostly because they dart around so much.  I'm confident I'll get some good one's, I've only just put the zoom lens back on, couple more months practice, I'll get them!!

I think the little fallas above a Brown Wren's?  But I'm no Ornithologist (but Johnno is a fucken smart ass!  haha, he told me that word!!)  A flock of 6-8 of them where hanging around for a few days, haven't seen them since.

There seem to be Millions of Willie Wagtails (Fantails for the Kiwi readers) here, ok millions might be a slight exaggeration, but after the rain, when the bugs really were in the millions, the Wagtails were everywhere!!  Beautiful playful little bird, I could watch them for hours...specially in the early hours of the morning, while they are eating all the mozzies around our tent; Hence why I don't have many photos of them, they come out when the bugs are out, and I'm hiding in my tent!!!

I could watch the Willie Wagtail for hours!