ML367916191

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

I was just walking back up the driveway when I heard it... it was such an imperceptible scrabbling in the leaves of one of the thick roadside copses that my immediate thought was that it was a Lizard coming out of hibernation or something... but... something about the purposeful way the creature seemed to be moving really struck me. I knew. In that moment I KNEW, with absolute clarity, that this was going to be the afternoon that I FINALLY get photos of the last of Tasmania's resident birds I am yet to bag!!! And then... there it was!! Impossibly tiny, weaving off into the forest at a sprint, its impossibly tiny head craned out with that stout bill held low... what followed was a good ten minutes of hunting; I scoured the forests, circling this way and that, and for a moment I caught another good but very short look as the tiny, orangey bird scampered between two clumps of sword grass... but eventually enough was enough. Driven on by the multiple very fresh platelets about, I headed home and did something I'm usually loathe to do. I don't object to call playback per se; in moderation, all things tend to be just fine in birding, but it's always detracted from the thrill of the hunt, or the satisfaction of bagging a bird in the natural way!! Today, though, was a very, very different case. The last bird for Tasmania I hadn't photographed was right there, right now. And so... I fully anticipated it to be a long, drawn out battle of wits... but no!!! The moment I played the call, I heard the frantic scuffling of leaves as the most gorgeous female BUTTON-QUAIL weaved through the underbrush at a gallop to see what on earth was going on!!! What followed was one of the toughest yet most incredibly rewarding photoshoots of my entire birding life; the bird moved very like the Quail-Thrush in terms of zig-zagging from cover to cover, but its curiosity always got the better of it, veritably bubbling over, several times coming out in a strange, drumming bubble of a call given softly from cover. The absolute tininess and fineness of build compared to the normal Quails was extraordinary, while the flash of that foxy-red blaze across its shoulders and the truly extraordinary stoutness of those bright yellow chicken-legs was arguably the most memorable feature of all... I was really struck how, as it moved, it was unmistakably a relation of the Waders, being far smoother in gait, more inclined to weave, and quicker in its movements than the mechanical stompings of the true Quail!! Eventually, this absolute gem of a bird lost interest and meandered quite happily off behind some burnt out logs and branches; as is so often the case with the truly special birds, I even blew it a farewell kiss before going on my own way, deeply, deeply contented and awed by what had just happened!!!

Technical information

Model

COOLPIX B600

ISO

1600

Focal length

236.5 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/125 sec

Dimensions

4608 pixels x 3456 pixels

Original file size

7.48 MB