lirralirra

This Superb Fairywren was a special part of the first Birding/Bird Photography outing taken by experienced birder, Ken Harris, and myself.

Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus) – male, moulting into eclipse plumage
1/1600, f5.6, ISO 1600

This little fairywren had been foraging through the understorey when he briefly hopped onto the lakeside pathway. He is such a little beauty and kindly lifted his sweet tail into the narrow depth of field which resulted in the entire bird being sharply focused, from the tip of his bill, to the ends of his toes and right to the tiny feathers at the tip of his tail.

He is currently moulting out of his bright blue breeding plumage into his eclipse, non-breeding, plumage. When this moult has completed he will look similar to a female Superb Fairywren except that his bill will stay black and he will lack the brown lores of the female. His tail will also retain significant blueness while the females’ tails are duller blue.

I shoot in manual and had been pointing the camera into the bushes. There was no time to alter my settings when he hopped onto the pathway and the image was quite over-exposed. Shooting in RAW creates large files but often enables an image to be rescued. The pathway is not blown (though it’s not far off) and it gives the image a high key feel which I think makes the fairywren stand out quite beautifully.

The Birding/Bird Photography group that Ken and I have started is run through Croydon U3A. Our first outing was to Lillydale Lake, we will be visiting various sites over the next few weeks. There are a lovely group of birders and photographers in the group; if you live locally and would like to join us give the U3A a call. Or contact me for more details.

Happy birding

Kim

PS the lirralirra exhibition has been extended until the end of February at The Chosen Bean, Mountain Gate, Ferntree Gully – new images now on display

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