The Australian Pelican is a beautiful bird, with one of the largest bills in the world. They are reasonably common in Sydney Harbour but I was not expecting one to swim past me while I was spending an early Saturday morning photographing at Nielsen Park. I had gone with the intent to photograph Bottle and Glass Rocks, with the subsequent plan to see what other subjects were on the rocks. I had just found my location for my composition of the rocks when a pelican landed on the water. It completed distracted me from my landscape shots but it was so worth it. Indeed, the whole morning was just one enjoyable opportunity after another. Whether I was photographing a bird or seeing a shot in a cluster of Little Blue Periwinkles it was just a beautiful way to welcome Saturday. I hope you like the shots below.
Read MorePhotographing around the Vaucluse foreshore in Sydney on Christmas Day 2018 - Watching ravens enjoy seafood and a cockatoo enjoy a drink from a multi-million dollar swimming pool
Sydney has a wonderful harbour and a great way to see it is along the Vaucluse foreshore walk. This walk is a well maintained trail that goes from Nielsen Park to the Hermitage Foreshore Reserve in the shadows of the atmospheric Rose Bay Convent. Low tide is a great time to walk along the route, as the rocks are exposed meaning you can drop down from the path to follow right beside the water. As always Mum had out done herself with Christmas lunch so I really felt the need to go for a walk. I grabbed my camera, as I figured I would see what I could find while I walked. I am so glad I did as I enjoyed the subjects I came across. I expected the walk to be relatively quiet because it was Christmas Day, however, it appeared backpackers have extended their Christmas on the sea beaches to these harbour spots as well. There were three separate parties of young people enjoying the day with a wealth of accents audible as I walked past. They were in high spirits but keeping their parties ordered with very little litter. One group was very well prepared with a generator powering a DJ table as well as a refrigerator. Despite the noise there were still a number of birds around. It was all just part of the rich tapestry of a Christmas in Sydney. I hope you enjoy the pictures in this post.
Read MorePhotographing around Nielsen Park and Vaucluse House on Saturday, 15 December 2018 - Sooty Oystercatchers in Sydney
I was back in Sydney for a brief stay but I did have time to head out to Nielsen Park and then Vaucluse House to see what birds I could find on an overcast Sydney Saturday morning. While the lighting was not great I was really happy to photograph my first Sooty Oystercatchers, and in Sydney Harbour, amazing! Seeing them made me really happy as they are such beautiful birds even though they are simply coloured and they are also so distinct, you cannot confuse them for other birds. I saw some other very typical birds for the area and I practiced some macro photography with an orb weaver. All said, a really great morning for a day which looked so challenging from a photographic perspective. I hope you enjoy the photographs.
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