Out with the beast!

Butterfly Bay on Great Keppel Island has more treasures to reveal. A morning walk towards the Western side of the island, to Svendsen Beach, promises to be a rich photo opportunity for birds. So this time, we take “the beast” with us: the Canon 100-400 lens. It is a big heavy lens, but it is generally worth the effort of lugging it on my shoulder, with the monopod for extra support.

Chris with the ‘Beast’

We are not disappointed! No sooner have we landed the dinghy, that we see a tiny red-capped dotterel on the beach and discover her nest, which explains her antics: “Pick me, pick me, I’m injured!” She is pretending to have a broken wing to lure us away from her eggs.

We then follow the track to Svendsen’s Beach and discover why our bay is called Butterfly Bay: hundreds of blue and black butterflies flitting in the under-storey. You could not get more in a butterfly enclosure!

And the discoveries continue, a Brahminy kite perched in a tree keeps an eye on us until we get too close and it takes flight!

Next, to top it all off, Wade discovers a spindle-shaped nest suspended from the twigs of a tree on the side of the track. It is elaborate, light as a feather, made from grasses, leaves and spider webs, and has a little roof over the entrance. We sit silently and wait to see if its owner flies in, and it does: a brilliantly coloured yellow-bellied sunbird!

This walk is such a treat and I am so glad I lugged the big lens! Be sure to display the gallery in full screen slideshow, by clicking on the first image.