‘Tyred’ birds

I was scheduled to take a bird photography masterclass at the Western Treatment Plant with Des from Australian Bird Tours but when the WTP closed, to help prevent the spread of H5N1 bird flu, we had to change venues. The sites Des chose were fabulous for bird photography and during the day we photographed several ‘tyred’ birds.

This White-faced Heron had been foraging along the water’s edge when I wondered if it would be obliging enough to wander behind the tyre. I love the look of this framed shot and the iconic pose as the heron lifted its leg while staring intently at its next snack.

The next bird to wander along was a Great Egret. I was so pleased that it ducked its head a little as it came into view behind the tyre.

There are several massive tyres along this stretch of water that were put in place as a groyne to help control erosion.

The next species to turn up were Silver Gulls. This one, with its brown bill, pale legs, mottled brown feathers and brown iris with no eye-ring, is a juvenile.

And this Silver Gull, with its red bill, white iris, red eye-ring and red legs, is an adult. A ship came into view for this shot, luckily it wasn’t directly behind the bird.

Sadly I found a deceased Little Pied Cormorant near this site. I followed the Avoid, Record, Report protocol and was told that the bird would be collected and tested. I haven’t heard back yet but will share an update when I do.

I’ve made a couple of fantastic changes to last week’s calendar draft. I’ll share the new version as soon as everything is confirmed.

Happy birding, Kim

~ Facebook page Kim Wormald – lirralirra – 11K+ followers
~ Facebook group  Ethical Bird Photography
~ Etsy – prints via me at  Kim Wormald lirralirra
https://www.australianbirdtours.com.au/bird-photography-masterclass