This weeks blog is a walk through of the shots taken on the weekend in the Australian Botanical Gardens, Mount Annan.

This week I headed out Saturday afternoon, again no mushrooms found this week. The weathers been warming up and pretty dry out this way the last few weeks, but the good news is rain is predicted for the next few days so hopefully something interesting next weekend. We'll see I guess.

This week I started off around the plant bank and walked along the cannel walk Found this Jacky Winter (Microeca fascinans) in the wattle trees along the walk. 

From there I headed back toward the stolen Generation memorial and came across this Bell Miner (Manorina melanophrys) around eye level which they are normally a lot higher up. I couldn't get a clean shot so plenty of sticks in the way of this one, plus not in the best of light so high contrast here as well. 

While taking these shots of the Bell Miner I heard some movement in the leaves and saw this lace monitor (Varanus varius)  making its way along the ground, these are usually spotted by the birds making noises around it and trying to chase them off, as they rob the nests of eggs, easily climbing trees to do so. 

This next shot is of a Juvenile male Variegated fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti) This one not fully coloured up yet, but starting to shoo of the colours he will soon be sporting. This shots pretty heavily cropped as even with a 600mm lens on a crop body pretty far away.

Also came across this Olive-Backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) again not the best of shots but a good collection of birds about to pick from this weekend.  

Walking back towards the road I came across another Bell Miner, again not positioned in the best.

Also high up in the trees this pair of Red-rumped parrots. (Psephotus haematonotus) With the Male feeding the female in this shot. 

Next up at the small dam beside the road this White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) This one was taken with the sun behind the bird as I tried for a better angle it took off into the trees, so sometimes you have to take the first shot as you may not get another. 

In this case I did get another from its perch in the tree, certainly an interesting pose it gave for this shot. 

The dam was a popular spot as several other birds came down to drink this ones a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galleria).

Not to miss out an Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides) also came down, this one has the better reflection. 

Another example of a hollow in use as this Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius) was investigating this one. 

These next two are of the Pied Currawong form last week, the chicks in the nest are getting larger this week. 

This next shot shows just how cleaver these ones are. The bird had the remains of another smaller bird and would hook the remains in the fork of the bush here and would pull to break the pieces down small enough to feed the chicks then fly back down to pull some more, It kept this up for a while slowly shredding the piece to chick sized mouth fulls.   

From there I headed down to the lakes to see what has going on down there as I walked across the grass another Sulphur-crested Cockatoo was on duty patrolling the lawn.

On the lakes were a few Cormorants this first one a little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo Melanoleucos) coming in to land.

Next up a Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) motoring along on the lake.

Last up fro this week this series of shots of the Welcome Swallows (Hirundo neoxena) Feeding its young while still one the wing. There were four young not eh branch and all got turns at a feed. The parent would skim the lake collecting insects along the way then come back to feed the young then back over the lake again. So I managed a few shots of this activity this week. These would be the best of the weeks shots. 

So all up a good collections of birds this week in the Australian Botanical Gardens, some shots Ok this week others not so great so a mixed bag for the week, but happy with these last few. No mushrooms this week, maybe some next weekend if the rain shows up that was promised, so far still dry there so not holding my breath. 

Thanks for dropping my my blog this week. 

Glenn

This weeks blog post is a walk thought of the shots taken last weekend at the Australian Botanical Gardens, Mount Annan. 

A Bit of a mixture this week in shots. starting off with a Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leugophrys) in the grass opposite the plant bank. This one was collecting nesting materials and seamed to be heading to the sheoaks beside the small dam there, So I'll have to keep an eye out there for the future. 

Then walking along to walkway beside the cannel I eventually came to the clearing where this Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius) was sitting along with a small flock of them, this one is the only one that stayed its ground, the rest took of and this one didn't stay to long. 

Heading back to the car I spotted the Long Billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) playing Peek-a-boo in its hollow. 

From there I drove up to the connections gardens where I spotted this Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)  on its nest its mate came by and passed over some food to feed to junior, which you can just make out the orange been in this shot, the afternoon got a bit windy here so the nest was moving in and out of shot and in the dark environment of the understory not the best conditions for this shot. 

With not so many shots under my belt for the week and wind picking up I tried a detail shot of this tree fern frong. Hand held, using my normal mushroom set up, Canon 60D with 100 mm f2,8 L Macro lens. (No flash used this time) 

This Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera Carunculata) was doing a spot of feather maintenance. No doubt the off feather was out of place from the wind on the day. 

The Western Austrlian Paper daisies are starting to come to an end now, so think Last week end was the pick of the days for these, this year, the wet weather easlier on in the year when the garden bed was all but washed away took its toll this year on the display. 

The last few weeks I've taken a few shots of the white Waratah this week it was the more common reds turn to flower so this is shot of the red Waratah. This shot was taken with the Sigma 150 to 600mm sports lens a bit of over kill but thats the set up the tripod was set to so easies to get the shot with. In this case I did use the flash so was able to underexpose to get the black background and only light where I wanted with the speedlite. 

​This last shot for the week at the start of the car pard was the stem of a grass tree, so you can see that the spike is really a host of tiny flowers, no wonder last weeks lorikeet was interested in one of these. 

Well thats it for this weeks shots from the Australian Botanical Gardens, Mount Annan. 

Thanks for dropping by my blog, some exciting news coming up here in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. 

Glenn

This weeks blog is a look at this weeks shots from the Australian Botanical Gardens, Mount Annan. Saturday I again took a walk thought the Australian Botanical Gardens, Mount Annan, with the cameras with a bit of Rain here last Thursday, I thought there was a better chance of finding some mushrooms to shoot, But as you'll see not so much luck. 

 I started out around the Stolen Generation Memorial, where I usually find a few birds about and some time mushrooms, this week no mushrooms and not to much bird life around. So I moved on to the small dam opposite the plant bank where this White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) was on the hunt.  So this three shots are of the bird scouting out. 

Preparing to strike. 

Then the strike, you can see the protective eyelid come over the eye to protect the eye and all the feathers on the back of its neck stand up from the force of the strike. 

Just behind this dam is a walk along the side of the cannel in the wattles there are often the Thornbills both yellow and Brown, this shots of a Yellow Thornbill (Acanthiza nana). 

With not much bird life about and no mushrooms so far I decided to try my lens at flower photography, The mistake here was not to note down their names, Shall pick them up next week so will update this blog when I get the names. These are all taken in the connections gardens, for those that know these gardens.

These next two are of a small native Pea with the second shot showing the pea pods.

The White Waratah's were in full flower this week so this was the week to see these. With the first shot showing the flowers on the whole plant this one about 1.3 meters high, with the flowers measuring around 150mm in Diameter. This shot was taken on the curve in the path, not standing in the garden as it may appear. 

Then a close up on an individual flower light with one speedlite, the shot under exposed to loss the back ground then light with the speedlite to fill in the flower the speedlite was to the left slightly in front. hand held as was the camera in this case so a bit of a juggling act here, mainly because I have the Gimble head on the tripod and didn't change it out for a ball head. Still need to come up with a workable system of changing out the heads on the tripod.

I did eventually fine a mushroom to shoot this weekend. This one in the connections garden, The front edge of this one has been eaten away but a snail or slug as there is still a bit of the silver trail on the right edge of the cut out but looks like a little home for someone. This one lite with two speedlites one in a soft box to the left and a gelled speed light to the right. 

The last three are back to some of the birds found this week, starting with am Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris) This one was eating insects which is a bit different to the normal sector they take. 

An Australiasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) maintaining its nest, theres already a few chicks motoring around the lake now. 

​Last shot for this week a dusky Moorhen (Gallinule tenebrous) watching me watching it. 

​So thats it for this weeks shots I did mange to get a mushroom shot for the week plus a few bird shots so all up not to bad for the week. Nothing to exciting but still time out and about with the cameras so all good. 

​Thanks for dropping by my blog this week, I'll be back next week with more. 

Glenn.