A further illustration of the road less travelled and what is waiting for you to explore ... as I have said many times, all we have to do from time to time is just stop for a while and look - and then see what is there! We had reason to be in Brisbane and had seen a story about the Sherwood Arboretum on the Gardening Australia show on ABC. We made time to check it out during this visit. A nice range of waterbirds were on hand as well as some magnifcent trees along the banks of the Brisbane River. Here is a sample of the birds.
First up is a pacfic black duck (with a dusky moorhen foraging just behind). I like this one up on a perch because it shows the not so obvious blue-green feather near the wing tip. This is not so obvious when they are paddling. The tinge of red is not part of the tail feathers ... it is actually the dusky moorhen beak refracted through the water under the branch! A moment in time ...
This is a hardhead, the male with the bright white eye and the light grey beak tip. There was a female around (they have a brown eye and a less contrasting grey beak tip) but I did not manage a clear shot of her. I do not have too many of these (one other I recall from a visit to Melbourne).
The next two I decided to include to show how the different light and backgrounds can provide quite different senses of the colour pallette of the same bird. This is a dusky moorhen. The bright red and yellow beak are key features (and their bobbing white tail when they are walking on land). They often seem "just black", but as you see in the first photo there are very subtle shades of blue on the breast and shoulders.Also note the fish just above right of the moorhen.
A similar "black" water bird but the beak of the Eurasian coot is a vivid white to contrast the soft black down of the head.
And from the water to the land showing its long black legs and long flexible neck is the majestic hunter that is the egret. The patient stalker hunters of the waterways.
This next one is a darter. I am used to seeing these by the river mouths around our local area, though like here, I have also captured pictures of them quite a way inland. They always look statuesque as they do such unusal things with their necks!
One of my favourites here - the Australasian grebe. Tiny little fluff-ball with a distinctive chestnut stripe on the top of the back of its neck indicating breeding plummage. The geen reflection and ripples in front the grebe really make this a beautiful scene.
Another relatively rare sighting for me was this chestnut teal. At first glance their body plummage aligns with a pacific black duck (see two photos down) but the head and red/orange eyes are the give away. Another bird that is deceptively plain until you look closely!
I have come to think of the white ibis as bit of a favourite. I like the way they are often captured in quite elegant (yes!) and even majestic poses - the setting (as here) needs to be right. One proudly holding its head high while the other feeds on some berries and nectar ... a trreat to see them feeding naturally ... and our fantastic clear blue sky 😗😋.
Here I offer a pair of pacific black ducks sitting in symmetry. The cream head bands and dark brown crown are distinctive. Ah ... to see nature still, yet so full of life!
I finish with another egret. Here much closer to the water, perched on a small branch by the edge of the pond looking with its keen eyes for any movement and ever-ready to strile with that piecing sharp yellow beak. Note the fine breeding plumes at the base of the neck.
And so ends another treat from a place off the beaten track that we are so lucky to have easy access to. I hope you get to visit one day.
