EDEN PELAGIC | BIRDING in MALLACOOTA

[@Zxxqw8]

The photo,s of birds ,fungi and nature are the best .Looking forward to a bird book coming out.Maybe?

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Gosh! Interesting idea! 😁 That would be a fun project

[@jenniferschultz3057]

Fantastic guys watched your passion from the start so natural love it gaz

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thanks so much 😁 Really appreciated! ~ Karen

[@lizzydaw1944]

Have watched you both from the beginning of your bird watching adventures,so professional these days but you manage to keep them real and so enjoyable.Keep on smiling .

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that 😀❤ ~ Karen

[@duncanwallace7760]

Pretty cool trip, there were quite a few albatross which I hadn't seen on the boat trips in New Zealand!

[@naturephotographychallenge]

That would be interesting! I'll have to tell Nimal about pelagics in New Zealand. I really want to go to NZ so that might be something he'd be interested in as an incentive to go. Where are the best locations for pelagics in New Zealand?? North or South Islands? ~ K

[@janeparkhill4828]

Another wonderful video. Both of you had a really good day, by the look of it!

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thanks! 😀 Yes, I think it worked out really well. I was a bit unsure of where to go & what to do with my day as there are so many fabulous locations to check out but we both ended up having a great day! ~ Karen

[@dylannewton76]

Great vid Karen and Nirmal. Some lovely pelagic shots there and Robins. Karen, that new Sony lens is nearly the same size as you! 😂

[@naturephotographychallenge]

haha!! 🤣 Yeah it is pretty big but I have to say... I'm loving it!! The zoom is so smooth & the autofocus is amazing!! I'm totally stuffing up a few settings here & there but it's so fun to use. ~ Karen

[@spottypiglet]

Thanks again. Another great video - and a super idea to split pelagic footage with the land based adventure. I hope Nimal is planning on taking more pelagics despite his trepidation.

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thanks so much! 😀 Nimal is definitely already looking forward to any pelagics in the future. He really enjoyed the Eden trip so he'll definitely do another one of those which I'm happy about as I love visiting the area! ~ Karen

[@debbieharry-clarke2918]

I get sea sick and I wear 1 earplug in the ear opposite to my dominant hand. It works every time and I've been doing it for years. Give it a go on your next trip

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thanks for the tip!! I'll let Nimal know about that one. 😀 ~ K

[@CowboyJojosAdventures]

Loved the Fungi, impressed at how Nimal was able to identify them. No Leongatha episode at your dinner table 😅 Great robins Love the bats I’m like you Nimal, I get sea sickness 😮 Some awesome bird shots guys, wow! You said it Karen. Stunning scenery. So hard to take footage on a boat, especially as it is bopping up and down. The Gull is amazing ❤ Beautiful sunset to finish off the journey. Thank you for taking us on your epic adventure ❤❤❤😊

[@naturephotographychallenge]

haha! 🤣 no wild mushroom meals for us! Helps to have an expert who knows what they all are. This area is just superb! So pretty! So much wildlife! ❤ Nimal did really well on this big boat trip! The weather was so good but, even then, sitting on a rolling boat all day, there's no way I'd be able to do it!! 😀

[@flyingparrotphotography]

Always wanted to do the Pelagic! Great trip to a lot of my favourite places 😊

[@naturephotographychallenge]

The pelagics are very long days at sea but if you have good sea legs (or medication! 🤣) it's the only way to see these big birds (not my thing but Nimal does really well). The airport at Mallacoota is a great spot isn't it! Best bird spotting there even in the wind. We also wandered around the heathland and saw two Emu-wrens but they were too fast for us on the day 😀

[@flyingparrotphotography]

@@naturephotographychallenge medication for sure! The airport is one of my go-to's Mallacoota, late afternoon light there is beautiful. Emu-wrens have been too quick for me there too! One day .... 🙏

[@capturingnaturewithsandip]

Nice capture

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thank you so much! 😀

[@Hummingbirder1]

Hey! O'Reilly's doesn't look like I thought it would... OK, I'm done being "funny" for the moment. Yup, Mallacoota looks like a nice area, that's for sure. We won't even get close, ofc, but that can't be helped. It looks like you're getting along fine with your new camera equipment, Karen👍That kangaroo hopping along at a mighty pace was a really good video clip, "Wow" indeed! The place you stayed at looked real swanky. That calm lake you spent your non-pelagic day around (and on) looked perfect😊 Now to the crown jewel of my envy: the pelagic trip. I bet Nimal feels as lucky as he was! There's nothing as a successful pelagic trip, mainly bcs they're so difficult to plan long in advance. Wind and weather is a tricky thing!🌊🌀🌧⚡ How many albatross species did he see? I'm very impressed he got video footage at all, what with the moving platform under ones feet! 🛳The photos were excellent! (Somehow I would love seeing those ghost mushrooms glow in the dark, but I guess they're an autumn thing and not a spring thing?)

[@naturephotographychallenge]

haha! O'Reilly's is next! 😀 Just going through all the footage & photos now. Nimal said he saw 7 species of Albatross on this trip. Definitely more than the last pelagic he went on so he was pretty happy. I'm very impressed that he can film & photograph on a moving boat. I know I certainly couldn't!! 😊

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Buller's, Indian Yellow-nosed, Black-browed, Campbell, Shy, Southern Royal and Antipodean. Campbell is often treated as a subspecies of Black-browed, so maybe I should say 6 species. Or 6.5 species? Whatever, it was my first time seeing Campbell and Buller's, so I was very happy with that. I think that the Buller's are a particularly beautiful albatross. Also, my first Brown Skua, Wilson's Storm-petrel, Grey-backed Storm-petrel, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the absolute highlight of the trip, the Westland Petrel. Lots of nice sharp photos of the water with an out-of-focus bird above it! - Nimal

[@Hummingbirder1]

@@naturephotographychallenge Let's settle with 6,5 species!😁 He he... I know *all* about the thing with sharp water/waves and out-of-focus bird above it! I've managed to get on a measly few pelagic trips in my life, most of them from Monterey, California. Only seen 2 species of Albatross: Laysan (a nice rarity in California, I was lucky) and Black-footed. Of your birds mentioned above I've only seen Flesh-footed Shearwater. When we were in South Africa, in 2018, we were so excited for the pelagic trip that was planned from Cape Town. Of course it was cancelled, due to hopelessly too strong winds during the three days our itinerary permitted. When we had to leave for the tablelands the weather turned to perfect. Of course it did. I'm not bitter.. (oh, yes I am!)

[@naturephotographychallenge]

@@Hummingbirder1 it's always the way isn't it! 🤣 Always the best weather is before we get there & after we leave! haha!😄 ~ Karen