Orange Chat (Epthianura aurifrons) Stockyard Plains DB Reserve
Orange Chat (Epthianura aurifrons) male Stockyard Plains DB Reserve
Canon EOS 40D Lens 100-400mm L IS USM at 400 mm ISO 500 F9.0 1/1000 Fill flash 19 October 2009
The location needs some explanation Stockyard Plain Disposal Basin Reserve (read Stockyard Plains DB Reserve) is located 12 km South West of Waikerie in the Riverland of South Australia. The reserve has an area of 1870 ha. Camping is allowed on a permit system, at two sites serviced with water, toilet and shower. For further details go to SA Water at http://www.riverland.net.au/~heinz/stockyard.html.
This facility is part of a saline reduction scheme for the lower Murray River, from a wildlife aspect the organization is to be congratulated for it's forward thinking attitude by granting this limited access.
This image was taken towards the end of our 90 day excursion through NSW, Qld, NT and finally the swing back through the mallee and home to Kilaben Bay. Why use the 100- 400 lens at full extension? This pair were raising young and we worked in the nest area giving plenty of space for the birds to feed, plus from working with this species on the Hay Plain in the early 1970s I found that the most attractive poses are to had when the bird lands on the tops of shrubs or approaches the nest from a distance on the ground. There were many pairs of the species in the area and a joy to scan with binoculars as it appeared that the blue bush and salt bush had scattered orange blooms.
Hope you enjoy the image
Best regards
Rod Warnock
Last edited by Rod Warnock; 11-21-2009 at 10:37 PM.
Beautiful composition and a killer BG. Really like the pose and the bug adds a lot to this image. It appears a tad soft on my monitor and just a another round of USM I think would strengthen an already lovely image. Many thanks for sharing Rod and what a wonderful opportunity to see this species.
Good-looking bird, angle and the sharpness in the repost looks good. The food items add to it. I might crop a bit off the left to get the bird out of the center. Keep them coming!
Good pose ang BG. Repost looks better sharpness-wise. I agree with Axel about cropping some at left. I'd also look at toning down some of the lighter leaves. Enjoyed the write-up too - thanks for the details.
Superb image Rod. I really like the repost, though I would be tempted to crop some canvas from the left. I look forward to photographing this species one day.
Orange Chat (Epthianura aurifrons) Stockyard Plains DB Reserve
Reply With Quote
