Beating the heat is the name of the game here and so getting up early and heading out is the answer. Lake Leschenaultia in summer just as the sun comes up is blissful. The breeze coming off the water is deliciously cooling and walking under the shade is a pure delight. To cap it all off the wildlife is truly wonderful. To make the most of it I travel light – one camera (Olympus EM1x), one lens (Panasonic 100-400mm f4-6.3) some spare batteries and a water bottle.

 

 

When we first arrived I had a look for the Spotless Crake in the reed beds. I know it’s there – I’ve seen it and its footprints in the mud, and heard it – but taking a good photo is proving very difficult as it is extremely skittish and elusive. While stood there we could see the reeds twitching away and there was some strange staccato chucks, when suddenly a couple of birds break cover and sit on the tips of the reeds. I didn’t honestly know what they were – and assumed they were a new to me species. It was all quite exciting. Walking round the lake we were serenaded by the magpies. As the understory got denser we could hear Splendid Fairy Wrens chattering away in the undergrowth. When they broke cover we saw that they were very young – probably this summers fledglings. It was enchanting watching their antics as they chased one another around. As we headed back to where we started we passed another reed bed with some more of those unidentified birds in and they were very obliging and hung around in plain sight allowing me to get more photos. It was a great morning, worth getting up for. 

 

On getting home and processing the images I found out that the birds were Australian Reed Warblers, a species that I’ve photographed before. What threw me was the sound – I’ve only ever heard them warble before. So it was a little disappointing that it wasn’t a new species, a bit embarrassing that I didn’t recognise them, but extremely satisfying as they are my best photos of Australian Reed Warblers.

* Early One Morning is a song by the great Elmore James.