What drew you to photographing birds?
When I was living in Myalup, a small coastal town in south-west WA, I’d walk on the beach most afternoons. One day, a young Sea Eagle left its perch overlooking the water and flew across the beach to look at me. I may have been the first human it had seen, fresh out of the nest. It flew close to me and I was able to make eye contact. I was hooked. I upgraded my camera and lens, and from then on, raptors have been my favourite subject. I never fail to feel honoured and amazed by their presence.
Where has your hobby taken you?
There are gorgeous birds on the Nornalup inlet – osprey nests I watch every year, a white-bellied sea eagle nesting pair, magical little garden birds including wrens, firetail finches, and spinebills – plus occasional wedge-tailed eagles, especially in lambing season. Further afield, my favourite place for raptors is the Kgalagadi National Park on the border of Namibia and South Africa. So many different kinds of eagles – paradise! I went to Namibia last year for the first time and the birds were brilliant – flamingoes at Walvis Bay, eagles at Eronga Rocks. Earlier this year I went to Kakadu and Cairns where there is so much life everywhere. The storks and cranes were fabulous.
How did you end up living in Walpole?
We’ve owned property here since 2001 but I didn’t move down full-time until 2017. What appealed to me was the silence, the huge trees, the forest walks. After living in cities, including five years in Hong Kong , I found Walpole was like a healing retreat. I still feel like that.
What’s your favourite bird to photograph?
It has to be the Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo. They are endangered now due to logging and burning of their habitat, but I’m still lucky enough to see them regularly and to photograph them in their family groups. They are magical birds. Their interactions are extraordinary.
What’s the longest you’ve waited to get “the shot” – and what was it?
Waiting for shots is nothing unusual for bird photographers. Last year in Kgalagadi I waited over four hours to get a shot of a Bateleur eagle at a waterhole. I was so aware that I only had a couple of days there and so anxious to get the shot. Comparatively, this isn’t a long time – I know of a photographer who stood in water up to his neck for three weeks to photograph lions drinking! I also regularly wait for hours to get a shot of the elusive White-Bellied Sea Eagles on the Nornalup inlet where they nest.
Most memorable pic you’ve taken?
My most unexpected and satisfying shots ever were of the White-Bellied Sea Eagle pair at their nest on the far west side of the Nornalup inlet. These birds don’t like humans. They are skittish and wary, so a good session with them is a rare joy. On this occasion I was in a tinny piloted by my old friend Derek, close to shore, when we spotted one of them on a branch. It was the female, and she was calling, quite urgently. We waited and the male arrived and landed next to her on the branch. I’d never seen this before! I got some shots of the two of them sitting together and then she turned her back to him and they mated. I couldn’t believe my luck. After a few moments he flew off and she followed. They perched on a high tree around the corner and sat together for a while, calling their crazy-sounding honking call. An amazing experience.
Favourite bird to photograph?
I love them all except ravens and kookaburras, the ruthless hunters of small native birds. The ones that are really hard to get a good shot of, like the wedgies, are an endless challenge. If you do get a shot, it’s generally very far off and in need of heavy cropping. So I would say that when I get a good wedgie shot, I am very pleased. I was in Broome a couple of years ago and the wedgie opportunities were fabulous. They were all over the roadkill and I spent quite a few hours there pulling dead roos off the road to protect the wedgies from certain death. I’m still hoping to get the perfect wedgie shot; I always take a camera with me in the car.
This fan-tailed cuckoo is a regular visitor to my garden in spring. He perches on a tree near my front door so he’s easy to photograph. I keep a camera at the door for birds like him. With their striking colours, you can’t help admiring them – even though they’re ruthless little bastards really, kicking the wren’s eggs out of the nest and putting their own in there.
Email me at philippabeckerling@yahoo.com and I’ll post one out to you. ($20 plus postage.)
The calendar is also available at Walpole Makers Collective in Walpole.
Most likely, but not definitively, the White Tailed Black Cockatoos found in and around Walpole will be Baudins not Carnabys, although their territories can and do crossover. Both are precious and need our devoted attention to preserve their habitats.