Year: 2008
Pirate’s Bay, seen from The Blowhole, Tasman Peninsula
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Pirate's Bay, seen from The Blowhole, Tasman Peninsula, originally uploaded by blather.Get the high resolution version » The dramatic view from the Blowhole near Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania. This is the view of Pirate's Bay. The wonders of wide angle lenses and circular polarisers! What you can't tell from the photograph is how strong the wind was - I took this at F18, 1/15s on ISO100 - but I could barely keep the camera steady. I clamped myself to a safety railing, and took about a dozen exposures, hoping that one would be sharp. I also had to try and stop rain hitting the lens!
White Faced Heron in abstract
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } White Faced Heron in abstract, originally uploaded by blather.Get the high resolution version » Taken near Murdunna, Tasmania. The White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, (formerly Ardea novaehollandiae), often known incorrectly as the Grey Heron, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of the sub-Antarctic, and all but the driest areas of Australia. It is a relatively small heron, pale, slightly bluish-grey in colour, with yellow legs and white facial markings. It can be found almost anywhere near shallow water, fresh or salt, and although it is prompt to depart the scene on long, slow-beating wings if disturbed, it will boldly raid suburban fish ponds. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-faced_Heron
Silver Gull, Australian Seagull
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Silver Gull, Australian Seagull, originally uploaded by blather. Get the high resolution version » Larus novaehollandiae, silver gull, standing at the tesselated pavement near Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania. That's a wave breaking behinfd the gull. I've been slagged off by folk in New Zealand and Australia for photographing such nondescript and common species as the red and silver gulls, and the ibis. The truth is, I'm not someone who lusts after the uncommon - I think there's a greater challenge in illustrating the beauty in "everyday" animals.
Australian Black Swan
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Australian Black Swan, originally uploaded by blather.Get the high resolution version » Cygnus atratus, the Australian black swan, near Port Arthur, Tasmania
White Faced Heron
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } White Faced Heron, originally uploaded by blather. Get the high resolution version » I had to work at getting thise close to this bird with a 400mm lens - Herons and egrets are very jumpy birds. I spent about half an hour edging over closer across the rocks until I was shooting portraits.Taken near Port Arthur, Tasmania. The White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, (formerly Ardea novaehollandiae), often known incorrectly as the Grey Heron, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of the sub-Antarctic, and all but the driest areas of Australia. It is a relatively small heron, pale, slightly bluish-grey in colour, with yellow legs and white facial markings. It can be found...
Tasmanian Native Hen
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Tasmanian Native Hen, originally uploaded by blather. Get the high resolution version » Gallinula mortierii, a flightless water bird, one of twelve species of birds endemic to Tasmania (they don't exist anywhere else). While in New Zealand, flightless birds have done badly since humans colonised, the native hen has done quite well thanks to the extensive new grassy areas. I photographed this bird at Adventure Bay, Bruny Island. I met an old lady there - British originally, but lived in Queensland most of her life. She was travelling around in her camper van, and was very taken with these birds. She referred to them as "turbo chooks" which I found very endearing.
Shadowplay – shadows on Dublin’s O’Connell Street
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Shadowplay - shadows on Dublin's O'Connell Street, originally uploaded by blather.Get the high resolution version or a print of this photograph » Shadowplay - shadows on Dublin's O'Connell Street This images are more than two years old, but I just found them again when rummaging around. I'd posted an earlier picture here, so here's two more!
The Casino at Marino, Dublin
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } The Casino at Marino, Dublin, originally uploaded by blather. Click for high resolution version » The Casino at Marino was designed by Scottish architect Sir William Chambers for James Caulfield, the 1st Earl of Charlemont. It was started in the late 1750s and finished around 1775. It is a small but perfect example of Neo-Classical architecture in the gardens of the now demolished Marino House. Chambers was prouod of his work, never completed building due to work commitments in England. The rather odd (by Irish standards) name 'Casino Marino' is derived from Italian which literally translates to 'The small house by the small sea'. Sightly pretentious, yes, but that was the taste of the time. Regarded by many as the most important Neo-Classical building in Ireland,...
Tasmanian Echidna
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Get high resolution version »Tasmanian Echidna, originally uploaded by blather. I kept spotting these little short beaked echidnas while driving in Tasmania, foraging around at the side of the road. I kept stopping to photograph them, but they either balled up like a hedgehog, or the light was bad, or the vanished into the bush. Finally, my efforts paid off... The Tasmanian Echidna has more fur and less spines than its mainland relative. Echidnas eat ants, termintes and other small invertebrates, which is traps on its tongue using sticky saliva. Australia's egg-laying marsupial mammal. Also known as "spiny anteater", is a mammal belonging to the Tachyglossidae family of the monotremes. It is the only surviving member of its genus in the latter order, together with the...
Tasmanian Echidna
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Get high resolution version »Tasmanian Echidna, originally uploaded by blather. I kept spotting these little short beaked echidnas while driving in Tasmania, foraging around at the side of the road. I kept stopping to photograph them, but they either balled up like a hedgehog, or the light was bad, or the vanished into the bush. Finally, my efforts paid off... The Tasmanian Echidna has more fur and less spines than its mainland relative. Echidnas eat ants, termintes and other small invertebrates, which is traps on its tongue using sticky saliva. Australia's egg-laying marsupial mammal. Also known as "spiny anteater", is a mammal belonging to the Tachyglossidae family of the monotremes. It is the only surviving member of its genus in the latter order, together with the...