June « 2015 « Steve Happ Photography

June 24, 2015

Saltwater National Park 2015

Filed under: Birds — Tags: australia, New south wales — admin @ 5:32 am

Mid-north Coast – New South Wales.

Back at Saltwater National Park, east of Taree on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. This place always has some great birds.

Green Catbird (Ailuroedus crassirostris)

The range of the Green Catbird is New South Wales to Southern Queensland coastal regions up to Great Divide. They have a red eye with a strong whitish beck. I have been hearing them for a long time. They sound like a baby crying in the forest. And this is the first time I have actually seen one.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater ( Lichenostomus chrysops)

White-headed Pigeon (Columba leucomela)

female Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus)

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius)

Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea)

juvenile Striated Heron (Butorides striatus)

Saltwater National Park bird list

Spangled Drongo
Little Wattlebird
Rainbow Lorikeet
Australian Magpie
White-bellied Sea-eagle
Australian Raven
Silver Gull
Pied Oystercatcher
Grey Shrike-thrush
Azure Kingfisher
Brown Thornbill
Brown Gerygone
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops)
White-faced Heron
White-headed Pigeon (Columba leucomela)
Green Catbird
Eastern Yellow Robin
Regent Bowerbird
Great Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Little Egret
Striated Heron
Australasian Figbird

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June 22, 2015

Whale Watching

Filed under: General — Tags: australia, New south wales — admin @ 2:41 am

Port Macquarie.

I went for a whale-watching ride this morning. Only forty bucks! It was a bargain. We saw heaps of whales. Plus an extra added bonus – an albatross. First time photographed. Not sure which one yet. The company is called Cruise Adventures and they operate from the wharf at the riverside at Port Macquarie. Highly recommended.

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

Humpback Whales are mammals – they breathe air, are warm-blooded and females suckle their young. Their scientific name is Megaptera novaeangliae. Our Humpback whales migrate north each winter along the east coast of Australia to the Great Barrier Reef.

Humpback Whale tail

The tail of the Humpback Whale has unique markings and these can be used by researchers to identify individual whales.

Humpback Whale fin

Humpback Whale breaching

This is the nostril of the whale from which the “blow” is expelled. The whale has strong muscles attached to its diaphragm to propel as much air out of its lungs as possible.

Humpback Whale spout

Humpback Whale tail

This one is either a Shy Albatross or White-capped. Even the experts cannot tell them apart. doh!

Shy Albatross or White-capped Albatross ?

I think this might be a Yellow-nosed Albatross. I am awaiting confirmation. Edit: Yes, this is a Yellow-nosed Albatross.

Yellow-nosed Albatross (Diomedea chlororhynchos)

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June 19, 2015

Surfing Surfari

Filed under: Surfing — Tags: australia, New south wales — admin @ 1:14 am

Crescent Head. Mid-north Coast. NSW

Crescent Head is twenty kilometers south-east of Kempsey on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. Surfers have been coming here since the sixties and is now a Surfing Reserve.

Classic shot

This is a classic pose so I chucked an old time filter on it. I think it suits it.

Gidget

This is a great shot. Solid stance.

Off the lip

A lot of crew ride longer boards and mini-mals.

On the nose

A nice backhand stretch five. Classical pose.

Tubed

It is actually quite hard to get in the tube at Crescent. This guy did well.

Racecourse

South of Crescent, along a really bad dirt road is Racecourse Beach. Time to get away from the madding crowd.

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June 1, 2015

Baldwin Swamp

Filed under: Birds — Tags: australia, queensland — admin @ 3:27 am

Bundaberg Queensland Birding.

This morning I stopped at what I thought was the headwaters of Baffle Creek, just north of Bundaberg. A lovely little creek but not much there except a Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo. I got a map from the tourist office and proceeded to Baldwin Swamp Environmental Park.

Square-tailed Kite (Lophoictinia isura)

Not a bad spot right in the middle of town. There were lots of bush birds along with the standard water birds.

Little Friarbird (Philemon citreogularis)

Double-barred Finch (Taenopygia bichenovii)

And a colony of noisy squawking fruit bats.

Fruit Bat

This grebe looked quite artistic amongst all the weed.

Australasian Grebe

Bundaberg bird list

Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites basalis)
Spotted Turtle-dove
Peaceful Dove
White-naped Honeyeater
Little Friarbird (Philemon citreogularis)
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Brown Honeyeater
Lewin’s Honeyeater
Spangled Drongo
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Australian Magpie
Willy Wagtail
Grey Fantail
Double-barred Finch
Dusky Moorhen
Purple Swamphen
Pacific Black Duck
Radjah Shelduck
Little Black Cormorant
Little Egret
Darter
Australasian Grebe
Australian Wood Duck
Square-tailed Kite (Lophoictinia isura)

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Steve Happ Photography Ramblings and dissertations

June 24, 2015

Saltwater National Park 2015

June 22, 2015

Whale Watching

June 19, 2015

Surfing Surfari

June 1, 2015

Baldwin Swamp