Crested Tern

It's been a busy couple of weeks but some matters have been resolved so I should be able to focus on taking more productive photos and re-igniting my passion for photography.  Of course that also means I will be devoting more attention on this blog.

Our Wednesday Group Did our usual again yesterday with a return trip to the Royal National Park.  On our previous visit (See the Post here) we had a lovely walk at Audley and also met a professional photography crew at Wattamolla who were on a shoot for an advertisement assignment and it was interesting to chat with them as they waited for the light to change.

This time the weather forecast was a bit 'iffy' but we persisted and headed down to take a look at Garie Beach.  The weather on the day was overcast with infrequent patches of blue sky and regular heavy showers but we found that hadn't stopped a couple of fishermen from wetting their lines.

Watamolla Fishermen and Friends
Canon 7D, 24-105 Lens @84mm, 1/400 Sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, Hand held.

What appealed to me here (apart from the fishermen ignoring the freezing wind and rain) was the flock of Crested Terns keeping them company.  The few seagulls present seemed content to wait on the sand while the Terns spent time in the air watching for an opportunity.

Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Canon 40D, Sigma 80-400mm Lens @ 400mm, 1/640 sec @ f/9.0, No Flash, Hand held

The Crested Tern is a common seabird around the coast of Australia and the brown tinge to the feathers of this bird indicates it is a juvenile. 

After we had lunch further down the coast at Stanwell Park we called in to Watamolla on the way home.  It is an interesting site with many things to photograph.

Red Flowers
Canon 7D, 24-105mm Lens @ 85mm, 1/60 Sec @ f/4.0, IAO 400, Flash

I had a couple of tries at this colourful flower growing on the edge of a rock cliff before the flash froze the movement caused by the constant wind.