tessa_murray

tessa_murray, 6 hours ago to random

I posted 2 cool shots of a hunting black shouldered kite on FB today. One is elegant and graceful, the other is just plain gross. Guess which one got more "engagement"?

A black shouldered kite eating a mouse pictured from almost directly below. It has just dropped a piece of intestine (colon in fact) and it is peering right at the camera.

tessa_murray, 5 days ago to Birds

If you like my photos I give you more! Another Pied Stilt enjoying the sunset and taking the opportunity to have a little bath. It was pretty close to dark when I took this photo and it is only due to the wonders of modern technology (cameras that can shoot at massive ISO and de-noise technology to clean up afterwards) that I can take a photo in such low light AND still freeze water droplets - I could barely see the birds without the camera - but I could still see the colours of the water (and sky). #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 5 days ago to Birds

The number 1 rule of photography is to capture the things that give you joy. I went to the lake tonight, I missed the best light and thought I wouldn't get anything good. But it was warm, and peaceful and as the sun sank the water turned pink and the pied stilts came across the shore right in front of me and I thought it was beautiful so I took some photos of them and their reflections. I've had to apply some serious de-noising as these photos were taken in the almost dark and I've also taken the liberty of removing some little black splodges that were marring the mirror perfect water. I think these give a good FEEL of the serenity of the moment, although obviously I can't capture the whole experience of sunset outdoors on an unseasonably warm Autumn night. #birds #birdphotography

A pied stilt hunting through a pink hued sunset lake. There are a few drops of water falling from it's bill and it's red legs make crazy geometric shapes with their own reflections.
A pied stilt facing the camera with it's bill and legs merging with those of it's reflection.

tessa_murray, 6 days ago to Birds

The Welcome Swallows are busy collecting little balls of mud - which is confusing me because they should be migrating North now and this seems like a very nest building activity. However, it has been enormous fun to crouch at the lake edge and try to catch them in motion. Pretty happy with this shot 😊 #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 7 days ago to Birds

Small Australian birds are actually REALLY aggressive. Our honeyeaters are enormously territorial and spend a lot of their time shooing other birds out of their territories. But the KING of aggressive behaviour are our little willy wagtails. They will take on anything - and they normally win. As an interesting aside I have never actually seen a raptor preying on willy wagtails, but the ravens and kookaburras certainly do. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 7 days ago to Birds

yup - that's breakfast sorted. Black Shouldered Kite bringing home the goods. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 10 days ago to Birds

This picture contains grey teal (the boring duck type birds), Australian White Ibis (better known as bin chickens and for good reason) and my favourite (ok, just for today) Glossy Ibis which are the cool bronze coloured birds with all the architectural body parts. I also like to refer to them as shiny disco chickens but you need better light for this description to fit. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 11 days ago to random

High key Spoonbill. Low key Spoonbill. Full colour Spoonbill. The light was terrible this evening - but I was so happy because we finally got a few drops of rain which we desperately need.

A side on portrait of the same bird but now against a dark background so that it stands out as vivid white against shadow.
The same spoonbill standing and looking towards the camera in slight profile. It is now against a background that fades from warm pastel tinged sunset colours to cooler grey / blue at the bottom.

tessa_murray, 17 days ago to random

Hop Hop Hop. No-one wanted to stay still for me today.

A Female red-winged fairy wren walking along a concrete border.
A male western (golden) whistler) just hopping out from behind a tree trunk

tessa_murray, 17 days ago to Birds

I went birding somewhere different today - and got rewarded with some species I don't normally see. This handsome fellow is a Western Whistler (they used to be called a Golden Whistler, till the powers that be decided they were a separate species and deserved their own, much more boring name). #birds #birdphotography

The same bird as before, but now perched low to the ground with his back to the camera and his head in profile.

tessa_murray, 25 days ago to Birds

Catching breakfast is only the start of the battle. The whistling kite caught the stilt, but then had to evade its sibling AND a swamp harrier who came to see what all the fuss was about and whether there might be a free meal involved. Kite no. 1 managed to keep the stilt all to itself. #birds #birdphotography

2 whistling kites and a swamp harrier in an aerial battle with a city skyscraper in the background.
A swamp harrier flying just above the whistling kite with some prey. It looks like the harrier is trying to force the kite to land.

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

The egrets were playing shadow puppets today. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

Spoonbills are such good models. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

These Carnaby's Cockatoos are an endangered species, but currently there are hundreds of them at Yanchep National Park. I really struggle to take nice photos of birds en masse like this - I just don't have the eye to put any sort of composition or coherence into these images. It's just chaos. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

I went out today to take photos of these guys - Western Spinebills. Unfortunately, Yanchep was infested with large, noisy (endangered) Carnaby's Cockatoos so I took over a thousand pictures of them and only managed about 8 of the target species - who apparently does not feel comfortable sharing space with a bird 50 times it's size, even if that bird does only eat honky nuts. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

This black shouldered kite was hovering almost motionless just in front of me. Was there for so long I had time to adjust settings. The light was really poor so I tried using a low shutter speed of 1/640 (this is almost glacial for a bird in flight). Alas the light was still too dim for a really good exposure, and the shutter speed still too fast to get wing blur. I hope she'll indulge me and give me a second chance with an even lower shutter speed next time #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to random

Ok - we're going to take a nice family photo here, so if you could all just sit on the branch and look straight at the camera please. Oh, a few cousins want to joint in - yeah sure, just snuggle up and if we can all be looking straight at the camera please. The camera - just look at the damn camera would you. Um, Jerry, get back on the branch please. Thanks, and now looking at the camera. Please! Oh, F you all.

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

I hope you all enjoy your daily bathing ritual as much as this little Grey Fantail. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

A regent parrot flying on a very misty morning. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to random

Lol, enough people (like 2 😆) asked for video so please let me indulge myself.

A slow motion video of a yellow billed spoonbill using its bill to sweep laterally to stir up tasty morsels. In the end it tosses something up to catch and swallow it.

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

I spent far too long watching this spoonbill foraging! It would sweep its bill from side to side and every now and then toss up a tasty morsel to catch and swallow. So very very zen to observe. And I may have a few hours of slow mo video which no rational human will ever want to see. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

Normally a very hard bird to photograph! (for me anyway) This is one of many that were hanging around the Stirling Range Retreat campground this weekend -- probably because they put water out for the birds and the rest of the region is extremely dry at the moment. This was just adjacent to the bird bath, their normal behaviour puts them high up in trees or they are extremely wary of humans when near to the ground and do not generally tolerate being approached. Regent Parrot. #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

Me and the family went camping for the Easter long weekend. Which means I have a LOT of bird photos to post. This is a Crested Shrike Tit - I only saw this one (previously this spot has been great for them) but she posed beautifully for me and even demonstrated the lovely crest. 😊 #birds #birdphotography

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

I went out to Yanchep NP today to look for spine bills. I never found the spine bills because this falcon (and friend) were busy hunting dragonflies and just being generally gorgeous. Hobby Falcon. #birds #birdphotography.

tessa_murray, 1 month ago to Birds

Normally, when I find a perched raptor and wait 20 minutes for it to do something I lose patience and lower my camera just before the critical moment, or my camera suddenly finds a little twig or leaf far more interesting to focus on than the bird. Or the bird takes off away from me and I only get bum shots. Today none of these things happened and I am so happy. This bird is now very tolerant of photographers and merely flew about 10 metres to a shadier tree just behind me. #birds #birdphotography