Hi all,
Have just come back from two weeks in Tasmania (our 4th trip)...we just love it. We stayed two nights on Bruny Island on a property called Inala, during which time I did a three hour guided bird walk with a very knowledgeable guide. She was able to take me to specific areas on the property (1500 acres!) where various birds are to be found.
One of the smallest birds in Australia, the endemic Forty-spotted Pardalote is threatened with extinction.
It belongs to a group known as 'diamond birds' because of their tiny, jewel-like appearance. Measuring about 90 - 100 mm, the body is light olive green with pale yellow around the eye and on the rump. The wings are black with distinctive white dots. Unlike its close relative, the spotted pardalote, there are no head markings.
Forty-spotted Pardalotes live in dry eucalypt forests and woodlands only where white gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) occurs.
The species can sometimes be seen at Maria Island National Park, the Labillardiere Peninsula in South Bruny National Park and the Peter Murrell Reserve near Kingston.
I know the background is pretty busy/distracting, but it is what it is I guess. I managed to photograph other endemic birds including the various Robins which I will post as I get through the sorting/editing. Exif for this one is 7D mkii, 100-400 lens at 400mm, 1/80th sec, f5.6, iso640 in AV mode. Not the sharpest shot I know and a faster shutter speed would have been better, but the light was changing (and windy too). The link to Inala is below...well worth a look.
You were fortunate to see this rare little beauty! Sharpness around the eye, head and back looks good on my screen, some movement blur in the tail, but these little rascals are constantly moving and thus understandable.
Congratulations on getting to see this beautiful little endangered bird, and getting a record shot of him. I agree with your self critique; some more shutter speed might have eliminated the motion blur which hurts the shot. I personally like the background leaves; not so much the twigs on the right.
Good work getting a decent record shot of a rare bird. Bummer that it was angled away from you.
with love, arite
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Forty-spotted Pardalote
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