Summer daylight saving time has ended on the east coast of Australia.
The autumn sun and still mild days are welcome.
I took my long lens and bicycle and went bird watching on a near perfect day.
Hope you enjoy the photos.
White Faced Heron
Spoonbill
Australian Pelican
Black Swans
And some passing ducks
My home town is Melbourne, Australia and as summer rolls along its a good chance to do day trips and overnight stops. Queenscliff is an historic town at the entrance to Port Phillip.
Being close to the Southern Ocean the weather can be a little unpredictable. The entrance to Port Phillip is known as The Rip due to the strong currents that rip through the narrow entrance.
The lighthouses stand sentry.
They guide vessels large and small through thr treacherous waters of The Rip.
Day and night the light houses shine their guiding lights.
Standing steadfast while the stars turn.
The waterways around Queencliff are a haven for waterbirds. Even this late in summer some swans have cygnets. Of which they are protective!
The Wood ducks and Spoonbills beautiful to see.
Another feature of Queenscliff is the grand old buildings. From the towns glory days.
Along the bayside the beaches and piers are perfect places to fish or promenade.
One of the attractions of Queenscliff is being able to swim with seals. Unfortunately the strong winds meant that wasn’t possible. Therefore there will be another day trip!
I take a few backroads avoiding the main highways and the traffic. Especially the big trucks. Ah the aptly named Black Stump Way.
Coolah is a small town a bit over half way on the trip and the hotel a good place for a night stopover.
The painted silos at Barabba are worth a stop on the Fossickers Way that leads up into Queensland.
The King and Queen Parrot giving me a welcome to Queensland.
Tambourine Mountain sits just west of the Gold Coast. Its a pleasant tourist destination and Queensland’s first National Park. Established in 1905.
A beautiful place to walk in some gondwana rain forest.
As well.as the parrots the kookaburras were a plenty.
And as the night fell the lights of the Gold Coast twinkled in the distance.
Definitely a very different place and seemingly a world away.
I’ve long lusted after a long lens. One of those ones that give beautiful bird photos.
I have finally bitten the bullet and invested of a 75 -300 telephoto lens.
I have to admit as I’m a piecemeal adventurer I’m also a piecemeal photographer and I’m going out on a limb here to share some of my initial photographs with my new lens
Most are really sharp some not as sharp as I would like. It’s certainly different shooting hand held with such a long lens.
In doing my research I learned a new word- Bokeh. This is the blurred background that a long lens gives. I think the next two images give a good example.
The flying tern and resting cormorants are sharp against blurred background.
While my blog has plenty of photographs, I call my style ‘words and pictures’ where I try, using these mediums, to give a sense of what I’m seeing and feeling in the places I visit.
I use Olympus (now OM) cameras and lenses. I found this blog very helpful in choosing and using my new lens; https://robinwong.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-day-at-frasers-hill-with-mzuiko-75.html?m=1
So friends and followers I look forward to adding some long lens elements to my next adventure blogs.
Addendum
It is still cold and blustery in Melbourne for Spring. So took another walk at the Newport Lakes Urban Forest.
It’s wonderful to have this forest and its birdlife so close to the centre of a big city.
The Noon Flowers are in full bloom at the salt Marsh in the Jawbone Reserve.
Also the water birds are returning to the mangroves and mudflats to feed and breed. The wet conditions in inland Australia may mean that some birds may not come to the coast but stay in the inland wetland. But it was great to see some arrivals like;
Spoonbills;
Egrets;
White faced herons;
And the old friend that rarely leave, the Australian Pelican. This one was catching a fish. Hunting, priming, then strike. Two attempts for two fish.
There are also beautiful views in and from the reserve.
Another sign of spring is finally here was the nice turn up of Guzzis at the monthly coffee catchup on Saturday.
A collection of bikes at the coffee kiosk in Lygon Street an Italian Hub in Melbourne
While it’s still a battle for Spring to kick winter out the door, it will prevail. Such is the cycle of the seasons. Meanwhile way up north in Queensland. Julia Creek has experienced its hottest ever October day- 43.9c.
When travelling in Europe people ask me – What is the weather like in Australia? I answer – It depends where and when. The above is a good example of why!
