They’re often seen and heard, but finding a nesting Eastern Whipbird is extremely difficult.
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It is a bird of the rainforest and thick vegetation, making them difficult to spot, and even harder to photograph.
You constantly hear them and occasionally see them but only for a few minutes, making it difficult to get into position and set up for the picture.
Eastern Whipbirds are extremely active constantly moving through the bush. They are found all along the east coast of Australia.
My one experience of finding a nest was in Blackbutt Reserve in Newcastle when a friend came upon the nest at ground level and gave me a call.
To this day it has been the only occasion I have managed to photograph nesting Whipbirds.
It was late afternoon, I hurriedly managed to set up the camera without scaring of the bird and managed to grab a few decent shots.
Just as well, too, because when I returned the next morning thinking I would have a really good day, the chicks were gone.
This is a bird that nests on or near the ground, is sedentary and strictly territorial.
It is an insect eater and spends most of its life turning over litter with its powerful feet to expose insects.
Sad to say my experience with this bird was short and sweet.
But any disappointment I may have had soon disappeared as I managed to head home with some good shots anyway.
On that very same day I was able to find a nesting Brown Warbler which was more productive, and I was able to get a great number of shots.
It had a hanging nest with a lid over the entrance, and the bird was continually flying back and forth carrying food to the chicks.
To record this required special settings with the camera and flash as the the nest was in a shady area.
The camera with a short lens was set on the tripod close in, making sure all the image would be in the frame.
With the flight focused and locked, iso 200, app F11, one flash set 1/16th power – then test exposure and adjust app. I should point out the area has to be in shadow, as any filtered light will result in a soft image.
The camera was triggered by wireless control from some distance away.
