…to be beside the seaside! I do like to be beside the sea! I do like to stroll along the Prom, Prom, Prom! Where the brass bands play, “Tiddely-om-pom-pom!”
So just let me be beside the seaside! I’ll be beside myself with glee And there’s lots of girls beside, I should like to be beside, Beside the seaside, Beside the sea!”
by
John H. Glover-Kind 1907
Cairns Esplanade is a sight to behold early in the morning. It seemed like the whole of Cairns is there clad in lycra leggings, shorts, and vests exercising in every conceivable form. I immediately felt slovenly, ill disciplined, and over dressed. It definitely felt as if this was an odd place to be looking for birds and I did feel surprisingly self conscious. But, having said that, the seafront at Cairns is not some luxurious tropical palm fringed sandy beach, but a mudflat with mangroves at the northern end and that means birds. Lots of birds. So many birds that Sue Taylor in her book “The 100 Best Birdwatching Sites In Australia” rates it as her number three destination. So that is what drew us to the Esplanade.
Cairns Esplanade, Queensland.
It is Australia.
As I settled in to get some photos a woman sidled up to me and said “You’re not from here are you? I know all the birders here and you’re not local. Where are you from?”. I politely told her I was from Western Australia and was over on a birding holiday thinking I could gain some valuable local information. “Oh I went to Western Australia once. There was nothing there.” At this point I could sense that the conversation was already starting to take a strange turn. She carried on. “You’re wasting your time coming here. They’ve all gone. There’s nothing left. Nothing to see.” I’d just seen 4 species I’d never seen before and told her so. “There’s no point,” she replied, “the light is too bad it makes it pointless to take photos.” . At this point I quietly and quickly moved in the general direction of away.
Apparently the light was so bad it was a waste of time trying to take photos of birds that weren’t there. Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica.
A different species of non-existent birds – Great Knot, Calidris tenuirostris.
Masked Lapwing, Vanellus miles.
In hindsight Moaning Minnie was sort of right about the light. The rising sun meant that the birds were strongly backlit, but I never subscribed to the old school photographic technique of having the sun at your back. I’ve always liked contre-jour lighting and as long as you know how to meter and avoid lens flare there’s nothing to worry about. What was bothering me more was that I couldn’t get at eye level with the birds as the Esplanade was about 1m above the mud. The obvious answer to this was to get out onto the mud and lie down, but this is Australia and the mudflats were perfect for saltwater crocodiles and there were signs warning about their presence everywhere. Not wanting to be breakfast for a large ravenous reptile I decided to stay on the Esplanade.
Striated Heron, Butorides striata.
Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus.
As I walked along the Esplanade I kept seeing this small brown bird flitting between the trees. I thought it was vaguely familiar but couldn’t place it in context. It was only when I looked at a photo of it I realised that I had see it before as it was a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), another animal that some homesick Brit introduced circa 1870 thinking it was a good idea. Like all these events it was disastrous and the birds soon became a major pest and colonised the whole of Eastern Australia. Another introduced species that could be seen in great numbers was the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis). It was introduced about the same time as the House Sparrow to control pests, and particularly in the case of Northern Queensland, plague locusts and cane beetles, but they bred prolifically and soon became another introduced pest on the eastern seaboard. It’s not everywhere you can witness two ecological disasters within 2 minutes. It wasn’t all bad news though we saw loads of different birds and 4 completely new species – Bar-tailed Godwits, White-breasted Swallows, Great Knots, and Striated Herons.
White-breasted Woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus.
Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis.
House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.
While walking back to the car I was amazed by the Nankeen Night Herons. We have them here in York so they are not new to me, and are actually one of my favourite birds. What was so surprising was how chilled they were around people. Here in York a mere glimpse of a person will put them to flight. On the Cairns Esplanade they were walking along the walkway amongst the people. We sat down to have morning tea by a BBQ and one came up looking for food. It was so close that to photograph it I had to use my compact camera as my other camera’s lens was too long.
All up a good haul for the morning and a great start to the trip.
A Nankeen Night Heron hoping to score a free meal from the BBQ. Cairns Esplanade, Queensland.
This Nankeen Night Heron was literally at my feet forcing me to use my compact camera to take a photo of it.
Koordji-koordji or Australian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus australis subspecies gouldi). Lake Leschenaultia, Western Australia.
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.
Koordji-koordji or Australian Reed Warbler.
Djer-djer or Splendid Fairy-wren (Malarus splendens subs splendens). Lake Leschenaultia, Western Australia
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.
What a poser! Koordji-koordji or Australian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus australis subspecies gouldi).
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.
The title is really an exercise in alliteration. It really should be “Can You Do Wildlife Photography On A Limited Budget?”, but that’s not as catchy or succinct. I used to think it was impossible. I thought to be a wildlife photographer you needed deep pockets to be able to afford the cameras and lenses. The photo review sites would have you believe that you need to drop unto $10K AUD on a camera body and up to $24K AUD on a lens to be in with a chance of taking a decent photo. Then you had to have the wonga to be able to travel to Africa, Antartica etc to actually find animals worthy of being photographed. About twenty years ago my sister tried to encourage me to enter the BBC Wildlife Photographer Of The Year competition my response was that I didn’t have the money for the equipment let alone alone being able to travel to a suitable location.
Richard and Cherry Kearton photographing a birds nest.
Twenty years later my views have radically changed. What changed them was the confluence of learning about two of the pioneers of wildlife photography and the digital camera revolution. The photographers were Cherry Kearton (1871-1927) and his brother Richard (1862-1928) the naturalist and writer. They were very early pioneers of wildlife photography and they published the first natural history book entirely illustrated with wild photographs in 1895. Their 1898 book “With Nature And A Camera: being the adventures of a field naturalist and an animal photographer” illustrated with 160 photos was a best seller and inspired many people to become wildlife photographers. A very young David Attenborough attended one of their film lectures and in an interview to The Guardian Newspaper said “It captured my imagination and made me dream of travelling to far-off places to film wild animals.” (Vidal, J; The Guardian 4th December 2021).In their book the two brothers list what it takes to be a wildlife photographer:
“The great points about successful natural history photography are: the possession of suitable apparatus to work with, an aptitude for taking care in stalking timid creatures and plenty of patience and determination to wait for and get what is wanted in spite of obstacles.”
p.334 Kearton, R and Kearton, C; With Nature and a Camera, 1898, Cassel, London.
The “suitable apparatus” was a half plate (4¾ × 6½ in or 120mm × 165mm) Dallmeyer camera with a pneumatically controlled silent shutter for still subjects and a large quantity of hemp rope for scaling cliffs.
The “suitable apparatus” was a half plate (4¾ × 6½ in or 120mm × 165mm) Dallmeyer camera with a pneumatically controlled silent shutter for still subjects and miniature plate camera (probably 3 1/4” x 4 1/4” glass plates with a 5 1/4” f8 lens) for birds in flight. There was no autofocus with bird recognition AI. No 40 fps. Nothing under 4Kg in weight and certainly no endless digital images on a memory card. The plates had a sensitivity of 2 to 25 ISO. They’d be lucky to carry a dozen glass plates and take one picture every 2 minutes. They initially started just photographing the fauna of their native Yorkshire in their days off often sleeping in hedges or barns. No luxury safaris with 5 star accommodation and the convenience of modern jet travel.
No memory cards giving unlimited shooting for the Keaton’s. This is a box of Ilford photographic glass plates.
The digital camera revolution has meant for the last twenty years camera and lens manufactures have brought out new products with amazing technological innovations every year. This has meant that the second hand market has been flooded with equipment as photographers unload their “obsolete” stuff so they can buy the new stuff only to do the same 12 months later. This now means that there is a wealth of extremely capable second hand equipment out there to suit every budget.
Advances in in digital photographic technology has meant that there is a plethora of second hand equipment for sale.
TLDR
Needs Versus Wants
This is quite important as it will help us decide on equipment and set a budget. For instance if all you want to do is post some photos on social media then pretty well any interchangeable lens DSLR or mirrorless camera released in the last 20 years will suffice. If you want to print photos up to A3 in size then a 12Mp camera is adequate. If HD video and 4K video are important then that sets another parameter. It’s nice to day dream about having top of the line equipment such as a Sony A1 and a Sony 600mm f4 lens, but that combination will set you back $27000 AUD new and won’t be had for thrift shop prices second hand. But, say you want to print up to A3 it is possible with a bit of careful shopping on EBay or GumTree to get a DSLR with an APSC sized sensor and a 75-300mm lens for less than $500 AUD second hand.
I basically find that deciding on the lens is the most important part of the exercise and you really should aim to put most of your budget to that. So what are we looking for?
Sensor size
Full frame (36x24mm)
APSC (23.6 x 15.7mm or 22.2 x 14.8mm [Canon cameras only])
Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm)
Minimum Focal length
400mm
300mm
300mm
Best Case Scenario
600mm
600mm
400mm
The focal length will determine how close you need to get to your subject. The shorter the focal length the closer you will have to get. Having said that a shorter focal length is not a handicap because you’ll have to learn bushcraft so you can approach animals and that is a very good skill to have in this game and it’ll also stand you in good stead if you get a longer lens later on down the track.
You can use zoom lenses or primes. A prime lens is a fixed focal length, whereas a zoom lenscovers a range of focal lengths such as 75-300mm, or 100-400, or 150-600mm. In theory a prime lens will give better image quality and have a larger maximum aperture value which will let more light in. The down sides are that primes are usually more expensive and being a fixed focal length means that if your subject gets too close (it does happen more often that you’d think) you won’t be able to take a picture. Zooms offer flexibility in that you’re not stuck at one focal length, but the trade off is that they’re not as optically good as primes at the cheaper end and the maximum aperture value isn’t as great meaning that you may have to stop shooting as the light goes down.
A comparison of the common camera sensor sizes.
Now as soon as you tell another photographer what you’re planning to do they will inevitably tell you that you should get a camera with a full frame sensor as you’ll get a whole heap of benefits over the other smaller sensors. Now if we just content ourselves with reading spec sheets maybe, but out in the real world other things come into play. You want to photograph a bird that is 20cm long and fill the frame with it, so that’ll mean getting 5m away from it. To do that with a full frame camera you’ll need a focal length of 800mm, with an APSC camera 600mm and with a micro four thirds camera 400mm. There is a magnification factor when comparing the focal lengths on the different sensor sizes. It is x1.5 (or 1.6 for Canon) for APSC and x2 for micro four thirds. We’ll look at this comparing three common focal length ranges for the three sensor sizes.
75-300mm
100-400mm
150-600mm
Full Frame (36x24mm)
75-300mm
100-400mm
150-600mm
APSC (23.6 x 15.7mm)
(22.2 x 14.8mm Canon cameras)
112-450mm full frame equivalent
120-480mm full frame equivalent when used on a Canon APSC camera
150-600mm full frame equivalent
160-640mm full frame equivalent when used on a Canon APSC camera
225-900mm full frame equivalent
240-960mm full frame equivalent when used on a Canon APSC camera
Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm)
150-600mm full frame equivalent
200-800mm full frame equivalent
300-1200mm full frame equivalent
So a smaller sensor will mean you don’t need very long lenses and that is good because they are expensive. Shorter lenses have the advantage of being lighter which is good when carrying stuff in the bush.
Canon EOS 300d body with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
I started my nature photography using a Canon EOS 300d with a Canon EF 75-300mm lens. The camera has an APSC sensor so that gave me almost enough reach to fill frame with my 20cm bird at 5m. It did me well until I decided that I wanted to invest more into the hobby. So if your budget is really tight I would recommend getting either a Canon of Nikon APSC camera and a 75-300mm lens as the bare minimum, and we’ll look at what’s available a bit later on.
Memory cards are now very cheap. Develop a strategy for keeping them safe while working in the field.
The other thing to consider is that when you buy a camera and lens you also have to budget for batteries and memory cards. First things first; when looking at memory cards over the last 20-25 years there have been roughly ten types of memory card and many of them have gone obsolete so when buying a camera I would suggest that buying one with a commonly available card such as Secure Digital Card or SD Card. Similarly with batteries, make sure batteries are easily obtainable. With both cards and batteries try to buy the best you can afford and I’ll expand on this a bit further later on. Buying second hand also means that there is a chance where you’ll be able to buy the camera with spare batteries, a memory card, strap and possibly some form of bag as a package. Just make sure you’re getting things you actually want and are not paying more than if you to buy each item separately.
All the cameras I’ll be talking about are cameras I’ve owned or used. They’re not recommendations they are to give an idea of what’s about and where possible I’ll suggest equivalent models from other manufacturers.
Bargin Basement
You’ve got next to no money. OK a bit of a draw back, but not insurmountable. Back in the dim dark days of digital photography there existed a class of camera that you don’t hear much about now – the bridge camera. They are a cross between a point and shoot compact and an SLR. You get a wide range zoom lens with a small body. They were popular with enthusiasts in the early noughties as more serious cameras were way way expensive. Every manufacturer offered at least one some several at different price points. Sony and Panasonic still make a few models and they range in price from $500 to $2400 AUD new. But on the second hand market that’s where things get interesting. You can pick up something for less than $50.
What you are looking for is camera models with the terms “UltraZoom“, “superzoom” or “mega zoom” in the model name. Ideally look for something with at least an 8x zoom, better yet 10x or 15x. The more zoom the bigger your subject will be in the final image.
Olympus Camedia C-720 Ultra Zoom
Olympus Camedia C-720 UltraZoom bridge camera.
The Olympus C-720 was introduced in 2002 and is fairly typical of models from that era. It has a whopping 3 Megapixels and an 8x zoom range (24x if digital zoom is switched on but it is crap). It’s small, light, and cheap. Typically expect to pay about $15 to $35 AUD for one. What makes it ideal is that the camera runs off 4x AA batteries which are plentiful and cheap. The downsides are that it takes a SmartMedia memory card which while obsolete can still be bought. The downside is that you will probably spend more on the memory card than the camera. Another problem is that the largest capacity card is 128MB which can hold 14 photos at the best quality TIFF setting, 58 in SHQ jpg, 170 HQ, 196 in SQ1, and 206 in SQ2. The last two come at a smaller resolution. Although 3MP is a bit limiting you can print a postcard sized print comfortably and print an A4 sized print at a stretch.
In use it is not a speed demon, it takes about four seconds to power up. When shooting in sports mode with medium quality jpgs the camera can manage to shoot at 1 fps for a total of 15 frames. The autofocus is slow and very noisy. The top shutter speed is 1/1000 and the maximum ISO, or sensitivity, is 400. At 400 ISO the noise is bad and prevents you from recoding fine details. This is not a camera with which to take pictures of fast moving subjects in low light. But in good light, with a heap of patience and an understanding of the cameras limitations you can get some pictures. Whether you enjoy the process or not will depend upon your outlook.
Little Corellas taken with the Olympus C720UZ camera.
When light levels fall the inadequacies of the C720UZ are quite apparent. The noise patter prevents detailed images.
Canon EOS 300d with a 75-300mm lens
Canon EOS 300d body.
If you can swing to $250-300 AUD there are better alternatives than the very old bridge cameras. The Canon Canon EOS 300D (Canon EOS Digital Rebel in North America and the Canon EOS Kiss Digital in Japan) was the first real consumer budget DSLR when released back in 2003. For $60-100 you should be able to find a body only. I’d look to team this up with a 70-300mm zoom lens. With a bit of careful searching the combo should come in at under $300. Alternatives from that period going for around that are the Canon EOS 10d and the Nikon D100. They’ll be a little bit more money but they have slightly better features. The downside to them is that they were often used professionally and so they might not have much life left in them.
Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens
So with the 300d what do you get for your money. Well you get a 6MP camera that takes Canon EF mount lenses – one of the biggest ecosystems of lenses in the world which means lots of choice at a variety of prices. Canon themselves have made an assortment of 75-300mm lenses over the last 30 years and you should be able to pick up something for $120 AUD and the one I’m looking at with Image Stabilisation for about $220. Sigma and Tamron are third party lens makers and you can find their versions for around the $100 mark.
The good points of the 300d are that it’s cheap, batteries (Canon BP-511a) and memory card (Compact Flash) are still available. The camera has a 6MP sensor that produces very nice A4 prints and it is very simple to use. The downside is that the camera was built to a budget and it is not possible to shoot in Continuous Autofocus when shooting RAW, the buffer is 2.5 frames per second for 4 frames, and the plastic body looks a bit tacky (but at least it feels solid). On the copy I have the rubber panels have gone a bit soft and sticky. To use Continuous AF you need to shoot in the Sports mode which is jpg only and you cannot adjust the exposure using exposure compensation in this mode. There is no being able to use the rear LCD screen to compose pictures on and there is no video mode. Maximum ISO is 1600 and the quality is ropey, but files can clean up quite well in image processing software.
The 70-300mm lenses at this price point are not going to win any awards for optical performance, but they will suffice to get you started. Irrespective of the manufacturer they all tend to be a little soft at the 300mm end and are not the fastest to find focus especially in low light, but they are capable of giving you a nice image if you don’t shoot wide open and keep the shutter speed up.
If you don’t want to buy Canon then at this price point look at the Nikon D100. Obviously you’ll have to substitute Nikon fit lenses as well.
Australian Pelican at Woodman Point, Western Australia. Canon EOS 300d with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS.
Kadjinak or Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa). York, Western Australia.
Djidi-djidi or Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys). York, Western Australia.
Djida or Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa). York, Western Australia.
Koolbort or Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens). York, Western Australia.
Kaaka-baaka or Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) in the rain. York, Western Australia.
Djangkang or Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata subs woodwardi). York, Western Australia.
Canon Eos 550d with a 75-300mm lens
Canon EOS 550d body.
If you can squeeze another $50-100 then a good option would be to go for something like the Canon EOS 550d. You have a substantial increase in resolution with an 18Mp sensor with better high ISO performance – now up to 6400 natively or 12800 by expansion. Continuous auto focusing in all shooting modes and the frame rate is increased to 3.7 frames per second with a buffer of 34 frames shooting jpg and 6 frames shooting RAW. The AF system has been beefed up a little and while still only having 9 centrally arranged focus points it has a cross type sensor in the centre with extra sensitivity. The camera uses SD cards which are cheap and easily found. The battery, the Canon LP-E8 is a bit of a down grade in terms of performance compared to BP-511a used in the 300d, but it is readily available and affordable. While being able to shoot 1080 video it is only really suitable for still subjects as the contrast based autofocus is is too slow to lock onto moving subjects. My first videos were shot with this camera and it is capable of producing a good result if you are prepared to manually focus. Other downsides are the limited buffer and the slow frame rate, the lack of a second control dial also makes using exposure compensation a little fiddly. I try and keep my ISO below 3200 as the chroma noise is quite intrusive and difficult to clean up without destroying fine details. But, having said all that this is a camera which is capable of producing very good results. Even though I now have other better cameras I still like to get the 550d out and use it because it is just fun to use.
Canon EOS 550d with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Quokkas are a small marsupial that inhabit Rottnest Island. Canon EOS 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) at the Coal Mines Historic in Tasmania. Canon 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Like many cockatoos Galahs, Eolophus roseicapilla, nest in hollows in eucalypt trees. Woodbridge Riverside Park. Canon EOS 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens
Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata) also known as the Australian Wood Duck, Swan River, Woodbridge. Canon 550d with Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), Swan River, Woodbridge. Canon EOS 550d with Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS lens.
This would be a camera which would benefit with a better lens if you can afford it. Something like a Canon EF 300mm f4 (approx $500 on EBay) or a 400mm f5.6 (approx $600 on EBay). This would be a nice nimble set up that would give great results.
The Nikon equivalent to this camera would be the Nikon D5000 for about the same amount of money.
Summary
It is quite possible to put together a competent kit to photograph wildlife for less than $500 AUD. It won’t have all the bells and whistles of more modern high end cameras but you will be able to make it work. The limitations mainly are speed of operation and picture quality. Learning how to make up for the short comings will inevitably make you a far better photographer in the long run than having the latest and greatest camera will.
The south east bank of Lake Gwelup in Western Australia.
The bird observation platform that forms part of the Lake Gwelup Reserve Broadwalk on the south eastern shore of Lake Gwelup.
Lake Gwelup and the reserve that surrounds it is one of the few areas of wetland that is still relatively intact. This means that it is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna which is all the more surprising considering it is just 12 Km north of Perth’s CBD in the City of Stirling which with a population of 210,000 (2016 Census) is the largest local government area by population in Western Australia. The bush around the lake is comprised of Marri, Jarrah, Flooded Gum, Tuart (, Swamp Paperbark and several species of Banksia. The bush and the lake provided a habitat for birds (according to eBird Australia 110 species of bird have been sighted there), frogs (notably Moaning Frogs), and reptile species (e.g. dugites, skinks and long necked turtles). One of the strange facts that has prevented the land from being developed is that the peaty soils around the lake if disturbed release arsenic and iron sulphates. In the areas nearby that have been drained and reclaimed they have the highest concentrations of dissolved arsenic in the world – some 25000 ug/L (some 400 times higher than that identified as safe levels for drinking water).
Bees feeding on the flowers of the Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca rhaphiophylla). Lake Gwelup Reserve, Western Australia.
A male Blue-billed Duck (Oxyura australis) on Lake Gwelup in Western Australia.
So what is there to see and do? Well there is a networks of paths around the lake and through the surrounding bushland and you can bring your best canine friend with you. There are BBQ’s and picnic shelters, public bathrooms, sail-shaded playground, sporting grounds and cricket nets for those who don’t feel the need to connect with nature. For those wanting a nature fix on the southern side is a broad walk and viewing platform that allows you to get up lose and personal with the wildlife. An interesting development is that the bush northwest of the lake is a breeding ground for Rainbow Bee-eaters. These migratory birds come from Papua New Guinea and Tropical Australia and build their nesting burrows in our summer time.The City of Stirling has taken measures to protect the nesting sites and at the same time promote them as a feature of the reserve encouraging people to come and see them. Something that the City of Armadale could learn from with their management of Forrestdale Lake. Conservation and protection doesn’t mean you have to fence people out. So when I went the other week I put together a 3.75 Km walk around the lake that also took in the Rainbow Bee-eater nesting site. It was a loverly walk and it was great to see people out enjoying the sunshine in such beautiful surroundings.
The breeding colony of Rainbow Bee-eaters (Merops ornatus) is quite a feature of the Lake Gwelup Reserve in Western Australia.
The City of Stirling, who administer Lake Gwelup Reserve, place signage up warning people of the presence of Rainbow Bee-eaters’ underground nests.
Originally what is now Lake Claremont was a swamp with a series of small pools edged with reeds and then surrounded by paperbark trees. There was abundant plant an animal life and it was an important hunting and gathering place for the Mooro clan of the Nyoongar in the warmer months of the year.
The bird observation platform allows visitors to watch the birds in the grasses and reeds at Lake Claremont.
In 1831 European settlers began to clear the land for farming and by the 1890’s there were market gardens and a then state of the art dairy farm. Things looked good and the area prospered. However, this state of affairs was short lived as by the turn of the Twentieth Century the water level rose and the farms were flooded and a permanent lake which rises and falls with the seasons was formed. In the 1950’s Claremont Town Council reclaimed large areas for a rubbish tip and renamed it Lake Claremont in the process. In the 1960’s it was decided to beautify the lake and its surrounds. Sections were infilled to create a golf course and the school playing fields. In time two small bird sanctuary islands were created and there has been a move to manage the the lake in a more ecological manner. The Friends of Lake Claremont are an enthusiastic and very active bunch of local residents and volunteers who have undertaken to assist in the conservation and enhancement of Lake Claremont. There activities have been crucial in weed eradication programs and revegetation projects working in tandem with pupils fromScotch College and Graylands Primary School. They also have annual public events including Clean Up Australia Day, National Tree Day and Celebrate Lake Claremont Day (community fair). More details can be found on their website.
The infamous Lake Claremont crocodile. Lake Claremont, Western Australia.
So that was then and this is now. What does the lake offer today? Well the wetlands of the Swan Coastal Plain are internationally acknowledged as a bio-diversity hotspot having a greater number of endemic species than most other regions in Australia. Since colonisation three quarters of the wetlands have been drained for urban development. Those that remain are adversely effected by the introduction of feral animals and plants. In this context Lake Claremont is like a biosphere. In the past ten years or so eBird Australia has listed 116 species of bird that can be found on or around the lake which makes it somewhat of a birders paradise. The path around the lake and the bird observation platform make it easy to spot birds all year round. To make it so that you know what you are looking for you can down load an illustrated brochure listing the birds from the Town of Claremont website.
Lake Claremont has a dual use path around its edge which is popular with runners and cyclists.
In addition to the nature based activities there is a 3 Km dual use path that circumnavigates the lake which is very popular with walkers, runners and cyclists. Dogs are welcome on a lead. The walk is enjoyable all year round and if you start the car park and head off in a clockwise direction then you can stop at the TeeBox Cafe shortly before returning to the car park. For the youngsters who need to burn off some energy before looking at the ducks there are two playgrounds. If dad doesn’t care for looking at the ducks then he has the option of playing a quick nine holes of golf.
A juvenile pied stilt (Himantopus himantopus) at Lake Claremont, Western Australia.
A black swan (black ) gathering nesting material at Lake Claremont, Western Australia.
A pair of Australian Shovelers (Australian) at Lake Claremont, Western Australia.
A pair of grey teals (Anas gracilis) at Lake Claremont in Western Australia.
A purple swamp hen (Purple), Lake Claremont, Western Australia.
Rainbow lorikeets (Rain) were introduced to Western Australiafrom the eastern states of Australia. Lake Claremont, Western Australia.
Pink-eared ducks (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) at Lake Claremont in Western Australia.
Called Dit by the Nyoongar this juvenile pied stilt (Himantopus himantopus) feeds at Lake Claremont, Western Australia.
Bardoongooba called Australian Shovelers (Anas rhynchotis) by European settlers can be readily seen on Lake Claremont.
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops), Avon River, Northam, Western Australia. Panasonic Lumix G85 with Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f4-6.3 lens. Exposure: 1/500 sec, f6.3 at ISO 250.
What do you do when you’ve got 2 hours to kill while in the Wheatbelt metropolis of Northam? Go looking for Black-fronted Dotterels that’s what! These busy little birds can be found on the muddy shoreline looking for insects and small molluscs.
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops), Avon River, Northam, Western Australia. Panasonic Lumix G85 with Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f4-6.3 lens. Exposure: 1/500 sec, f6.3 at ISO 250.
The ubiquitous New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae), New Victoria Dam, Korung National Park, Western Australia.
Over the last few days my FaceBook feed has been seeing some seriously tasty bird photos from one of the groups that I belong to. The photos all come from one area– New Victoria Dam which is 30Km east of Perth on the Darling Range in Korung National Park. So when the Beloved Significant Other (BSO) announced she was competing in a croquet competition at a location just 20 minutes drive away I immediately volunteered myself as driver.
There are two starting points to the walk and which you choose will largely depend upon when you visit. If you visit outside of office hours Monday to Friday or anytime at the weekend then y ou have to use the upper carpark as your start point as the access road is shut. During office hours you can drive down to the lower carpark keeping in mind that if stay till after 5pm then you won’t be able to drive out. I started at the upper carpark which only adds 800m each way to the walk. The walk consists of a 7Km round trip down past the New Victoria Dam to the Old Victoria dam wall and the garden and picnic area. There used to be a path through the trees at the edge of the road but it has become quite overgrown and indistinct so you are best walking along the access road. As you walk down the road on your left is the gravesite of Francis Weston who died in 1876 aged two days, his parents lived in the timber workers settlement at Bickley. When you get to the lower carpark walk through it and then follow the trail markers. After walking through the forest you come to New Victoria Dam. Walk down the steps and at the bottom turn right onto the road and walk down to the remains of the Old Victoria Dam.
The gravesite of Francis Westson who died in 1876 aged two days. His parents lived in the timber workers settlement at Bickley.
The steps down to the New Victoria Dam.
The original dam was built in 1891 and pumped water via pipelines to Kings Park and a reservoir there on Mount Eliza. The dam became the first permanent water source for Perth and was operated by the private City of Perth Waterworks Company. As the water catchment area took in agricultural land and timber settlements there were fears that it would be polluted by raw sewage and excrement from livestock. Between 1895 and 1900 typhoid broke out in Perth and 425 people died. The water was tested and found to be contaminated so the government took control and made changes to prevent re-occurrence. By 1988 the concrete structure was beginning to degrade to such an extent it could no longer be repaired so in 1990 work on the new dam commenced and because of the use of roller compacted concrete it was completed by the following year. It can hold 9.5 million kilo-litres and is used to supply drinking water to Kalamunda and Lesmurdie.
The wall of the old Victoria dam and the garden beside it.
In the lee of the old dam there is a grassed picnic area and toilets. Thickets of ti-tree and one-sided bottlebrush or claw flower have been planted and the thick vegetation along the creek line provides dense cover for a number of bird species. On this trip I used the picnic gazebo as an impromptu bird hide and spent a couple of hours watching the various birds feed and drink. I sawred-eared firetails, mistletoe birds, splendid fairy wrens, western spinebills, new holland honeyeaters, white faced herons and rosellas. The dam spillway feeds water to the pond and creek that provides a year round water supply which means that the birds are always active all here. If you are there at dawn or dusk then kangaroos can be seen feeding on the grass. It is a great little spot and doesn’t require too much effort to get there.
Red-eared Firetail (Stagonopleura oculata), New Victoria Dam, Korung National Park, Western Australia.
White Faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae), New Victoria Dam, Korung National Park, Western Australia.
The Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG OS Contemporary lens is part of Sigma’s Global Vision line of lenses. It offers an inexpensive way of getting into wildlife photography.
Not so long ago I looked at the the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400 f4-6.3 ASPH Power OIS lens for micro four thirds, well today I’m looking at an alternative lens for APS and full frame cameras – the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG OS Contemporary lens. Now confusingly Sigma make two versions of the 150-600 and they are labelled the Sport and Contemporary. The-Digital-Picture.com has put up a good article explaining the difference between the two. The main ones are price and weight with the Contemporary being a 1Kg lighter and $1200 AUD cheaper. This is quite a significant difference and I for one prefer a lighter lens and a heavier wallet. The Contemporary is part of Sigma’s Global Vision line of lenses and is thus compatible with the Sigma TC-1401 1.4x Teleconverter which allows auto focus to work to a maximum of f8 while wide open if your camera supports this feature. This is an interesting option as it allows a reach of 860mm on full frame and a humongous 1376mm on an APSC sensor which is impressive reach for a lens and converter costing less than $2000 AUD. I didn’t happen to look at this option because none of my Canon DSLRs allow f8 auto focusing. shuttermuse.com has an article on f8 focusing with extenders or teleconverters and a list of compatible Canon DSLRs. This does not apply to the mirrorless R and RP which have f11 auto focusing.
Lens mounts available
Canon EF
Nikon F
Sigma SA
Focal length
150-600mm
Angle of view
4.1° – 16.4°
Aperture range
f5/6.3 to f22/27
Filter size
95mm
Minimum focusing distance
2.8 metres
Maximum magnification
1:4.9
Focusing
Silent HSM with internal focusing and manual override
Aperture blades
9
Lens construction
20 elements in 14 groups with 1 FLD and 3 SLD elements
Image stabilisation
Yes – 3 stops equivalent
Length
26cm
Diameter
10.5cm
Weight
1.93Kg without lens hood and tripod collar.
Fully extended to the 600mm focal length the lens is a beast. There is no sign of any wobble in the zoom extension.
Physically this is a large lens, it stands head and shoulders above my Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L lens which in itself quite a large lens. The 150-600 is also 500g heavier. At 2.1 Kg with lens hood and tripod collar attached it definitely has heft to it. Interestingly Sigma refer to it as a lightweight lens, I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective as the Panasonic Leica 100-400 is 0.985 Kg so the Sigma feels gargantuan compared to it while the Canon EF 600 mm f4L IS is over 3Kg so the Sigma then seems svelte and compact. The lens body is made out of what Sigma calls a Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) which is substantially stronger than conventional polycarbonates while having similar thermal expansion properties to aluminium. The lens mount is made of chromium plated brass which should ensure a long life. All in all it feels a well made and rugged lens, it may feel like plastic but the TSC body feels substantial and gives the impression of being very durable with no creaking or flexing. The Sigma 150-600 is advertised as being dust and splash proof but on closer reading of Sigma’s spec sheet there is only one seal and that is at the lens mount. If you want better then you’ll have to spring for the Sports version.
The Canon EF lens mount is made of chromium plated brass.
When looking at the lens from the front there is a large ribbed rubber zoom ring that has a long throw of about 160º. The action is smooth and feels not too tight nor too loose. As you rotate the zoom ring the lens barrel extends by 8cm. The extension feels secure with no slop or wobble. Just behind the zoom ring on the lefthand side is a zoom lock switch which can lock the zoom ring at the 150mm focal length to prevent zoom creep while carrying the lens. The focusing ring is narrow ribbed rubber and allows you to manually adjust focus while the lens is in the autofocus mode. There are no hard stops which might concern you if you were to use the lens for video. Behind the focusing ring is a panel of four switches and they are:
An AF switch allowing to choose between AF, MF and MO (Manual Override)
A focus limiter switch allowing a choice of full range, 10m to ∞, and 2.8 to 10m.
An optical stabilisation switch that gives a choice of off, on and a panning mode.
A custom switch that allows you to select two custom modes that can be programmed using the Sigma FD-11 USB Dock
There are three switches on the lens barrel. One fotr focus modes, the second a focus limiter and the third is for the optical stabilisation.
The focus distance scale is behind a window just below the the focus ring.
Above the switches is a window showing the focusing scale and then behind that is the lens collar. The lens collar allows you to turn the camera from horizontal to vertical while mounted on a tripod, but, unfortunately there are no detents to allow you to do this while looking through the viewfinder of the camera, you have to align the marks on the collar with those on the lens body. The tripod collar can be detached and thoughtfully Sigma provide a cosmetic rubber ring to slide over the lugs that hold the collar in place. The lens comes with a large plastic lens hood the size of a flower pot, it seems sturdy enough and bayonets into place and a nice touch is that is ribbed internally to prevent reflections. The 150-600 has a 95mm filter thread which means filters will be expensive and potentially hard to get. In terms of accessories Sigma provide a nice well padded lens case, a shoulder strap for it and a Sigma branded camera strap. Like all Sigma lenses you get a lot for the money you spend. Nice one Sigma!
The 150-600 has a 95mm filter thread which means filters will be the size of dinner plates, be expensive and potentially hard to get.
I tested the lens on a Canon EOS 6d and an EOS 550d to see how it would perform on both crop and full frame cameras. In terms of AF performance as neither of those cameras have what can be considered state of the art AF systems, in fact it is over twelve years old, the lens did very well. The single point AF using the centre point was fast and precise and well capable of fixing on small birds amongst foliage. In terms of continuous AF on the EOS 550d the camera was the limitation being only able to shoot 6 frame bursts in RAW, but out of my six shots when tracking my dog trotting five of the six would be in focus. The 6d is able to shoot 4.5 frames per second for 15 frames and on the trotting bull terrier test it managed 12 frames in focus.
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When it came to BIF (birds in flight not fisticuffs) the AF was more than capable of focusing on and tracking medium to large birds. It really struggled with small birds especially swallows. Put it on a better camera and I’m sure you’d get better results.
Australian white ibis, Threskiornis molucca, Herdsman Lake, Western Australia.
My primary use for a lens like this is handheld bird photography, and as such I didn’t really give the image stabilisation a workout as I seldom use a shutter speed below 1/500 sec. But messing around at home in the house and garden I figured it was good for three stops. Mind you I do have steady hands so your experience may differ from mine.
The optical construction of the lens is twenty elements in fourteen groups with 1 FLD and 3 SLD elements. The FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass element, which offers performance equivalent to fluorite. Canon and other manufacturers have used synthetically grown crystals of calcium fluoride components in lenses to aid apochromatic design, and to reduce light dispersion so lenses made from it exhibit less chromatic aberration. What Sigma has done is use newer glasses and computer-aided design to render the use of fluorite crystals unnecessary. Sigma claim that the FLD element is “highly transparent, its refractive index and dispersion are extremely low as compared to conventional types of glass. It offers characteristics very similar to those of fluorite, which is valued for its anomalous dispersion. These characteristics minimize residual chromatic aberration (secondary spectrum), which cannot be corrected by ordinary optical glass, while helping to produce sharp, high-contrast images.” (https://sigmaphoto.com.au). The three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements also help to minimize chromatic aberration. To help achieve attractive out of focus transitions there are nine rounded aperture blades which should help achieve nice round bokeh balls when shooting specular highlights.
In terms of optical performance well I’ll deal with full frame and crop separately. First up using the lens on the crop framed 550d. At 150mm the centre of the lens wide open was sharp and contrasty and stayed A as such until f22 when it softened due to the effects of diffraction. At the edges the peak performance was attained at f11 and remained until f22 when it softened again. At 600mm the centre wide open was a little soft and lacking in contrast. This improved by f8 and then deteriorated at f22. The edges weren’t so good – wide open they were soft and lacking contrast and remained so until f22 when they got worse. As for vignetting well at the short end wide open it was apparent, about 1/2 to 1 stop and this disappeared by f8. It was the same story at the long end. Throughout the focal range there is slight pin cushion distortion and some chromatic aberration can also be seen. Open the files up in Lightroom and apply the lens profile and things improve nicely. On the full frame 6d the story is the same except for the vignetting which is naturally worse at around 1-1 1/2 stops which is totally understandable as you are using the whole frame rather than just the central part of the lens coverage.
100 % crop from the centre of a New Holland Honeyeater to show how detail is rendered by the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 Contemporary lens.
What’s all this mean in real life. Well if we look at the image for the New Holland Honeyeater which I took at a distance of around 3.5 to 4 metres and then enlarge the section around the head you can see that there is nice feather detail and that the eye is sharper than a very sharp thing. To get much better you’d have to spend an awful lot of money and if we look at the Canon 600mm f4 lens I mentioned earlier that has an eye watering price of $18,500 AUD which is over 11 times the cost of the Sigma. Personally I know that if I plonked $18 K down on a lens I’d be heading for the divorce court which would make the Canon a doubly expensive lens. So for what it costs the Sigma is amazing value.
Below are some examples of bird photography shot with the lens on both a Canon EOS 6d and 550d.
Welcome Swallow, Hirundo neoxxena, Herdsman Lake, Western Australia. Canon 6d with Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary. Exposure: 1/500 sec, f7.1 at ISO 250.
Red capped robin, Petroica goodenovi, Avon Walk Trail, York, Western Australia. Canon 550d with Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens. Exposure: 1/500, f6.3 at ISO 160.
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza uropygialis), York, Western Australia. canon 550d with Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens. Exposure: 1/1000 sec, f6.3 at ISO 320.
Mistletoebird, Dicaeum hirundinaceum. The Nyoongar name is Minnijit. York, Western Australia. Canon 6d with Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens. Exposure: 1/1000 sec, f8 at ISO 1600.
So would I recommend the lens? Yes without hesitation. It performs very well and is sold at a very good price and you can’t argue with that.
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