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Red-backed Fairy-wren

Red-backed Fairy-wren (Image ID 48356)
Photographed bySteve Mantle on Fri 2nd Oct, 2020 and uploaded on Sat 2nd Oct, 2021 .
Resolution1800x1117
Viewed580
ID48356
CommentI had been observing a pair of RBFWs for a couple of weeks as they caught various insects in their local patch. Photo was taken from the window of my parked vehicle in a oft used clearing along the verge of a gravel lane. The area is popular with the local birders and is an eBird hotspot. The main site consisted of a mass of dead branches and unkempt tall grasses either side along the length of a rural fenceline. Their 'patch' extended into a weed infested paddock over the far side of the fence to where the pair would disappear with the prey. I was amazed at the range and size of the prey being brought back to what I assumed was a nest located somewhere in the overgrown paddock. The birds would use the high points - fenceposts, wire, bushes and branches - to pose with the prey before disappearing into the paddock. Spiders, caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, midges etc; the one in this image being the biggest of the lot. I've chosen to submit this partcular frame primarily because of the pose and prey. The male was hopping along the perch and this frame caught him giving the impression of jumping for joy over his catch - the slightly blurred feet conveying the movement. Moreover, this image shows the distinctly orange 'red-back' of the southern-most form of this species.
EquipmentCanon EOS 5D Mark IV
TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011
ƒ/9.5 @552mm 1/2000 ISO1250
Handheld from vehicle
LocationPort Macquarie hinterland, New South Wales
Keywordsmale, feeding/with prey, adult
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