After a pretty long walk along a dry creek bed, liberally piled with rocks of every imaginable shape, size and colour, we waded across to a waterhole fed by a spring. It was slippery, and we slipped. But it was also beautiful.
This Willie Wagtail was at the edge of the water, frenetically shaking its catch. I should have asked one of the experts to identify the moth as I’ve been unable to positively identify it from online searches.
The Willie Wagtail vigorously shook the moth while running back and forth along the edge of the water.
This is the best shot to try to get an ID on the moth, and also the funniest it you look at the Willie-wag’s legs. It was rapidly running back and forth. Bird photographs often make it look as though the bird has stopped when in actual fact they are pretty likely to have been moving quickly.
The Willie-wag finally succeeded in removing the moth’s wings by violently shaking the moth and bashing it on the ground. Moths wings are made from chitin and covered in powdery scales that are unpalatable and not nutritious.
‘DD’ is Desert Discovery relating to the recent Nilpena-Ediacara ecological survey adventure. I photographed this series at the start of the trip and love the warm glow of the early evening light.
I collected the Birds in Flight calendars from the printer this afternoon and they look magnificent. We are aiming to have them all mailed by the end of next week.
Happy birding, Kim
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~ Photography masterclass – https://www.australianbirdtours.com.au/bird-photography-masterclass
