Bird Bias
December 2006
I’m primarily a bird photographer. I’ll confess that, in my opinion, a portrait of even the cutest, furriest mammal can’t hold a candle to one of a colorful, lively bird. So here I am on Kangaroo Island, with mostly mammals to photograph—a sure recipe for boredom unless they’re doing something interesting or engaging!
Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has numerous wild koalas that are easily seen in the avenue of shady eucalyptus trees on the property. On a hot afternoon, though, most of them are snoozing. That’s not surprising since koalas typically sleep 20 out of 24 hours a day. It’s thought this is due to their low metabolic rate from a diet of somewhat toxic eucalyptus leaves. How to make an interesting image of a rather inactive creature? Stay patiently focused on the subject until it makes a move. It’s best to use a tripod, even if your camera/lens combo is light enough to hand hold, to avoid fatigue while you wait. This koala looks like it’s thumbing its nose at the photographer!
Same with marine mammals on a beach. Seal Bay is a great place to see Australian Sea-lions. Access to the beach is restricted to protect this rare species, so joining one of the guided tours is the best way to see them up close, if only for the 45-minute duration of the tour. Again, though, the sea-lions are mostly inactive. They’ve hauled out on the beach to rest after several tiring days at sea finding food. As far as I’m concerned, once you’ve photographed one sleeping sea-lion you’ve photographed them all, so how to make a more appealing shot? Be on the look-out for interactions, behavior, or interesting designs of the animal in its environment. This couple of females sleeping close together, apparently affectionately, immediately caught my eye.
There are certain mammals that do excite me, though, as you’ll see next.