Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler male

Some photos of male Northern Shovelers as seen in Niigata between 2009 and 2012. 

Actually very striking looking ducks.

Eternally Yours

Australian Hobbies

Courtship display

St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

October 1993

I know this looks rough but actually it was one of my favourite photos for a long time. It was taken with my Pentax K1000 using a Takumar 400mm lens plus Kenko 2x convertor way back at the end of October in 1993. (I got the lens for $120 at a camera store in the city) I remember it was late on a Sunday with a community festival in action. Some small tents/stalls and handfuls of picnickers with music and some cooking going on. The hobbies had been nesting in the park. I remember the male (above) called his arrival from the Herbert Street entrance (west of where I was sitting) and the female went to meet him. He delivered his present, I think in this case a sparrow. (You can just make it out at the lower left of her grasp). 

It was with transparency film. The Pentax K1000 was an all manual film SLR camera and I could just get one shot then wind the film on. I was lucky with the timing as it all happened so quickly.

Nature pics with V1

Black-eared Kite

Shinano River, Niigata, Japan

Nikon V1 + FT1 + Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm VR

(please click on the image for a larger view)

 Played around with my Nikon V1 last weekend. Think I still prefer DSLR but it's a pretty light and nifty outfit. Better for static subjects with SLR lens and FT1 but reckon I got away with a few flyers. Handy focal length as it has a crop factor of X2.5 (I think, I recall). All handheld.

Carrion Crow

Shinano River

Same combo as above

Dragonfly with V1 and 30-110mm Nikon 1 system lens (uncropped)

Fukushimagata, Niigata

(cropped and adjusted)

(uncropped)

(Cropped and slightly sharpened)