18th-20th September 2014
Bunya Mountains, Queensland, Australia
Boy! It sure felt cold up here! I didn't really come to Australia equiped for temperatures as low as 4C with 20mph winds generating a significant wind-chill on top of it. No woolly hat; no gloves; no warm jumpers or fleeces meant I spent most of the morning shivering with numb fingers. At least it was sunny, and once the sun had been up for a few hours it did warm up a bit and was fairly pleasant in the afternoons.
They feed the parrots twice daily here (afternoons are best), making it fairly easy to get some good shots of King Parrots at point-blank range.
male Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis) |
Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) |
A pair of Laughing Kookaburras were almost permanently perched on a stretch of wooden fencing just behind the lodge buildings as they scanned the lawns for lizards and large insects.
Very tame Red-necked Wallabies were common around the campsite and the lawns at the back of the lodge, especially in the early mornings before too many people were around.
Many of the females had joeys curiously peering out from their mother's pouches as she grazed.
Sunrise was also an excellent time for photographing the Satin Bowerbirds. These were present in quite large flocks and were feeding on grass seeds around the campsite and lodge lawns. Low light levels were a bit of a problem but, by using my campervan as a hide, I was able to get some very intimate portraits showing their beautiful violet eyes to good effect.
Superb Fairywrens were another species that frequented the campground lawns.
My walks through the forest were much less productive and it was quite difficult to find subjects to photograph. The dense undergrowth and low light levels didn't really help either but, as usual, persistance paid off and I did at least get a few good shots.
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