I was just about to head to sleep when I suddenly realised it’s Friday! I have lost a day this week, I think it must have disappeared in a flurry of picking up sticks and stacking firewood. I need to create the fastest lirralirra post ever if I’m going to publish before midnight.
I especially like photographing Australasian Darters and this shot supports the adage that it’s ‘all about the light’. The look of surprise on this darter’s face echoes my expression when I realised it’s Friday!
I was super lucky to capture this shot as the early morning light backlit the darter’s gular pouch perfectly, making the pouch and the bill glow bright orange and showing details of the veins in the pouch. The yellow rim around its eye also stands out, as do the white feathers caught on its lower bill. The darter was perched on a log in the creek and opened its long, pointed bill to make its loud, guttural call as I was watching. The deeply shadowed, black background was on the far side of the creek.
I especially like photographing darters as they look remarkably different depending on their pose and the light. This shot is the most dramatic I’ve managed to capture. It is two minutes to midnight, hopefully I’ll just make it!
Happy birding, Kim
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