Meandering through March - water

Taking a little break from merely chronological, I noticed a broad "pattern" as I was trawling pictures for March 2017 to share. It struck me how many "places" I might end up noticing birds to photograph without necessarily having a plan. This aspect of my pastime I really enjoy ... the unpredictability and variety simple meanderings offer. We are blessed here on the north coast of NSW to have such a diverse environment to meander through, often easily in a single day. The beach, the coast, the estuaries, the rivers, the floodplains, the swampy lowlands, the rainforest remnants, waterfalls and what we fondly call mountains but are really very worn down ones! All descriptors in very lay terms of course, simply through my eyes 😊.

So this post focuses on birds on or near water (the next on or near land) as I was meandering through March. No new finds, but each different sighting offers a unique glimpse and perspective of the wonderful avian world.

Willy wagtail basking in late afternoon sun

Sacred kingfisher keeping an eye on me

Back to serious fishing business!

White-faced heron patiently stalking (itself 😉?)

Black-winged stilt family wading together

It is interesting to watch the swallows at work along the Ballina north wall on a windy day. Apologies if you have read this in earlier posts, but it still fascinates me! Their acrobatic flight seeking and catching insects on the wing is excellent exercise to stretch your neck and shoulders, and even better to sharpen your peripheral vision! Then ... the sky is clear? Often they will be found recharging their batteries on the side protected from the wind soaking up energy from the sun and preening. Depending on the position of the sun, the colours vary. Here are two pairs and a single.

Keeping watch to preen

Watching ... always watching

Preening in unison 

Needs no caption, nor imagination ... just identification.

Spotted doves

And finally, a favourite for the magnificent colours, heightened I think by the late afternoon sunlight and this wonderful setting in a sheoak and dextrous actions. The eastern rosella. I read this just today (16/7/20) and these two photos i believe amply illustrate: "Their ebullient colors-the most vibrant colors in the natural world-are the ultimate eye candy, critical to both sexual attraction and effective camouflage, ..." Jim Robbins The Wonder of Birds (2017) Black Inc. Carlton. Australia. p.64