Back to the Beginning
December 2007
It’s December 20th 2006 and we’re back in Sydney, where we first started our Australian travels 3 months ago, before taking the long flight home. My Gitzo tripod is dismantled and packed away, the 500mm lens is safely in its case. Our trip of a lifetime is coming to an end. And what a great trip it’s been!
Over the months I’ve photographed 100 species of birds at what I consider publishable quality—48 passerines and 52 non-passerines. We watched, identified, and enjoyed an additional 150+ bird species. Most of the photo subjects were wild and free, but a handful were photographed in a couple of wildlife parks we visited. Add a variety of mammals, scenery, habitats, plants, and the occasional reptile and, all in all, 7000+ images are waiting to be processed on the computer, uploaded to my website, or sent to my photo agent, ready for potential publication.
I’ve photographed a cassowary as tall as I am, a fairy wren only slightly longer than a cassowary’s foot, and everything in between! I’ve wilted in the tropical heat, and been so shiveringly cold that I could see my breath in the morning. I’ve trained my lens on rarities with very restricted ranges, such as the Golden Bowerbird, as well as the ubiquitous birds of urban as well as rural environments. Such is the Silver Gull, seen here against a backdrop of the Sydney Opera House. I envisioned this fun, wide angle image ever since I saw the situation on my very first afternoon here in Australia, and have been thinking about capturing it ever since!
We’ve seen only a small part of Australia, yet we’ve seen some of the world’s most gorgeous, colorful, bizarre, and fascinating birds while visiting some the best national parks this enormous, wonderful country has to offer. Of course the sights have been awesomely memorable, but I’ll also miss the sounds—the flutelike melodies of magpies, the churring bowerbirds, the wailing catbirds, the screeching lorikeets and cockatoos, and the rhythmic “thump…thump…thump” of a kangaroo hopping past.
Thanks to the Lab of Ornithology for giving me opportunity to share my images and experiences. I do hope that visitors to All About Birds have enjoyed them too.