Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Clamorous Reed Warbler

One of the highlights of Gould's Lagoon during the warmer months, to me at least, is the calling of the Clamorous Reed Warblers as they take up territory among the reed beds.
Getting on for a year ago, I attempted to photograph these warblers at this venue. The results were less than spectacular, so I recently gave it another go, with somewhat better results, but I nearly gave up in the attempt. They're not called 'clamorous' for nothing, it's not as if you can't hear them. Seeing them can prove a little more difficult, and as I have found before, photographing them needs a great deal of patience and luck.
The best spot to get to grips with them proved to be from the track that runs from the car park. Two birds were calling incessantly, and obviously had territories that abutted one another. That proved to be the key to photographing them, as they both tried to outdo one another with song. The down side of this spot, was the frequent passers by, several with
dogs, and some obviously suspicious of my intentions! The spot was also down sun when I was there (in the morning). One of the birds frequently called from a bush, I suspect a Hawthorn, which gave passable opportunities, certainly better than previous efforts. But the frustration of frequent interruptions by people and the resident geese, caused me to give up and return to the car (all of 20 metres away). My more tenacious side finally kicked in at this point, and I decided to give it one more go. This proved fortuitous, as the birds obviously took pity on me and allowed a range of photographs to be taken. In fact the most difficult problem has proved to be, which images to blog, because I ended up with so many. A rare state of affairs! While photographing at Gould's, I couldn't help feeling sorry for the Little Grassbirds. They seem to outnumber the warblers, but their faint call was barely discernible. Photographing them will have to wait for another day, but I can't help feeling they will test my patience and resolve even further.

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