Havoc At The Entrance

Megan and I drove to the Central Coast to visit a few favourite locations. The sun began to rise as we left Sylvania so we stopped off for a quick shoot at Tom Ugly's bridge. What commenced as a glimmer of red erupted into the most magnificent array of warm colours which spread over the entire sky illuminating a pair of pelicans and numerous seagulls cavorting on the sand. We were disadvantaged composition wise by having no foreground interest but it was nevertheless an auspicious beginning to what was to be a miraculous day both weather wise and with respect to photographic opportunities. 

Our next stop was at Long Jetty where we were entranced by a large white egret who displayed no fear of the cameras and happily posed atop the jetty railing for a protracted period of time.

We moved on to have some breakfast just the other side of the bridge at The Entrance and were almost lucky enough to get close to some black swans who were unfortunately spooked by a loud fast motor boat. 

Not to be discouraged we were able to get pretty close to another pair of egrets, a heron and some cormorants.

Tracking down the entrance to Hargraves Beach was top of the list for the day as I'd seen some shots of the rock formations and was keen to have a try myself. Although the light was not perfect, the sky was riddled with large white clouds which always represents a bonus in my opinion. 

On the way back towards the Entrance we stopped off at Norah Heads lighthouse and spent some time tracking down some tiny black and yellow birds which darted in and out of the bushes. I believe they're called New Holland honeyeaters.

 The tide was low and impressive waves non existent so we headed for the Entrance where I wanted Megan to experience the feeding of the pelicans. With a delicious ice cream smoothie in hand we whiled away the hour observing the antics of these magnificent birds while we waited for the official feeding time to commence.

Many of the pelicans have been affectionately named by the volunteers,  and each of them has a distinct personality.

The last stop for the day on the return journey was at Terrigal where I conducted a reconnaisance of the landmark known as The Skillion. Quite an impressive location but definitely sturdy shoes and a wide angle lens are a necessity, and if negotiating in the early morning hours, a headlight.

 Unfortunately, I'm not happy with any of my Skillion images, but this is the best of the bad ones I captured in a rushed endeavour to beat the impending sunset.

Pelican Therapy

Whenever I feel deluged by life occurrences, hitting the road and observing pelicans is a rejuvenating  therapy.  

With an imminent return to work hovering like a revengeful drone, I decided to explore two locations I'd seen posted on Facebook by fellow amateur photographers. Travelling from Sydney to the old coal loader at Catherine Hill Bay and then on towards Caves Beach, I was able to schedule a visit to both the pelican feeding and the much photographed lifesavers' hut at the Entrance, so the day was filled to the brim with photo opportunities.

image: Catherine Bay Coal Loader

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Back To Bombo

The first week of my holidays is over already so I'm feeling somewhat deflated, however I should be grateful that at least it was spent relaxing and enjoying the freedom. My trip down South to see my cousin enables me to not only catch up with her, but to revisit many of my most loved locations and for good measure, toss in a few new ones.

The decision to stay overnight at Greenwell Point on the way down turned out well.

View Greenwell Point in a larger map
As luck would have it, there were some fishing boats returning and of course a group of pelicans gathered to try their luck at the ritual ' cleaning of the fish'. The fishermen were most obliging and angled their throws to create some great photo opportunities and I was able to catch some action shots different from any I'd taken before.

One of the greatest disadvantages of continually photographing a subject is the challenge of capturing a different perspective, but it's definitely great for professional development. Observing the expressions and personalities of the pelicans always cheers me up and its entertaining to hear the fishermen recounting their experiences. Unfortunately the anticipated Milky Way shoot didn't eventuate as the cloud cover was too thick but it was a good start to the holidays nonetheless.

Rising early for a sunrise shoot was another plan thwarted by those same clouds, however we were able to get a few shots from the beachfront which was accessible as the tide was out. Unfortunately, long exposures and boats dont seem to marry well.

Pelicans In The Mist

I realise that pelicans 'in the fog' was the reality, however pelicans 'in the mist' sounds better. I returned to Como bridge on a repeat foggy day hoping to get a better shot of the webs clinging to the railway fence. 

Disappointingly, there were fewer puddles for reflections, negligible droplets on the webs and the fog began to lift the minute I put my foot on the bridge. Refusing to be daunted I spent some time practising macro work on the solitary spider I did locate. The fog began to thicken again by this stage so I was annoyed that it was time to leave for work. The camera was switched off and I headed home, luckily electing to take the route past the closed jetty.

My reward was the opportunity to capture two pelicans performing their morning ablutions in the midst of all that delicious fog. The moral seems to be that most dismal photo shoots can be turned into a worthwhile experience by some small serendipitous occurrence. 

Observing the antics of these amazing birds always brings a smile to my face.

Pelican Antics

I was mesmerised for over four hours watching pelican chicks in the pelican nesting colony situated at Woy Woy. The colony is on an island in the middle of the river and using my Canon Powershot like binoculars I was able to zoom in and observe the interaction. The island was a few hundred metres away so the images are very grainy but hopefully it won't be the last time I visit this colony so next time I'll inquire into renting a boat in order to get within a reasonable distance without disturbing them.

Feeding Time On The Island