aussiebirder

2025 is marked out as a Year of New Beginnings for my wife and I as we settle into our mature understanding years. I have recently had new eye glasses which have wonderfully solved a poor prescription made a few years ago by a less experienced optometrist, who told me at the time ‘that is the best we can do for you, you will just have to live with it.’ Thankfully, this year I chose not to believe the optometrist’s judgment and I no longer have double vision, having attended a more experienced and more expensive practice.

Likewise, with new eyes, I explored new lenses, and decided to dispense with my long history of Canon cameras and lenses settling on the Sony A6700, mirrorless camera which is much lighter, smaller and very different to operate. We took it for an inexperienced test run on a walk in our local Nasho yesterday in the humid Summer heat. Thankfully, the Cicadas were much quieter than usual, though their cacophony had already driven many of the birds out of the park. Here are some of the shots taken in Extra Fine image quality mode.

As you may know I love reflection shots, and my new book will even be called ‘Reflect on These Things’. I tried some river shots while the water was still. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Here are some of the currently blooming wildflowers in our local Royal National Park ( or Nasho as we know it).

My wife noticed this female Australian King Parrot resting alone, which is quite unusual as these are generally seen in pairs. It may be a young one yet unhitched. I noted the brilliant ISO on the Sony, so bright even in the darkest parts of the rainforest. I barely had to adjust the lighting in after production, a real plus for me who never uses flash on birds, or even at all. I captured this Yellow-faced Honeyeater from a great distance.

Time to test the movie capability as a novice who has yet to read up on the features. This Eastern Yellow Robin, our rainforest robin, is calling.

Other observations of interest were this skink and this lone mushroom.

One of the tests for this camera was when it was pointed high into the very tall eucalypts where the tiny Scarlet Honeyeater are feeding. We only know thy are there by their very distinct ascending high pitched call, as they communicate with one another during their rapid move through the sub canopy searching for insects and lerps. While they were almost non visual distance wise I did manage these shots.

The final blessing after my wife asked God for a special birding treat was this young Green Catbird, strangely looking for food in the leaf litter by a stream bed, but deep down among vines and trees.Two weeks ago we saw this bird while with our young birder friends, resting in a tree. We were impressed with the ability of this camera to focus in on this bird in such a difficult position without too much effort. The ability to use their DMF function which allows to do manual fine focus adjustment while in auto focus mode.

Enjoy a wonderful week as we move again into the changing seasons which are those very special times for birders following bird migration. Birds leaving in the south and returning in the north. Our world is certainly a dynamically interesting realm. Our migratory birds are already fattening up and donning their breeding plumage ready for their long 6 yo 8,000 km journey to the northern hemisphere.

On our walk down our birding track we always see the remnants of a previous era before automobiles were popular, when families visited the park by steam train and then horse and cart buggies. Several kilometers along the track two stone water troughs were built at Jersey Springs to water the horses along the 9 km track. Here fresh clear refreshing water constantly flows out of the rock and down the track. Notice the two troughs:

The tank on the right above is receiving no fresh water and the water is black and stagnant, being of no use to horse or human, in fact poisonous should it be consumed. These troughs resemble the two kinds of lives. The one on the left resembles one that is being constantly refreshed and fed from clean pure healthy water. See How the apostle Paul explains it in his letter to Titus:

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another [stagnant water tank].  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,  he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit [refreshing water tank].” – Titus 3:3-5 (NIV)

Jesus through his own life, death and resurrection made it possible through the gift of his Holy Spirit, for us to become wells of living water that bursts from within us refreshing not only us but all who come in contact with us who have received his free gift of eternal life and turned away from the stagnant life of selfishness known as S’I’N which always has ‘I’ or ME or MY at the centre of its life, to the life that dynamically flows of of love, righteousness, peace and joy.

Jesus said: “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow [burst forth from] from within them.” – John 7:38

Jesus also said: “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” -John 4:14

Thousands of years before Jesus came Isaiah the prophet of the Lord invited us to come and drink freely from God’s life giving water – Jesus. One of the largest misconceptions and mistaken teachings in some churches is that we have to be good enough to be accepted by Jesus, whatever good enough means, NO ! God loves us as we are for who we are, not for what we have done or can do for him. His love is a free gift to all who will receive it and believe in him. Salvation is by grace through our faith in what Jesus has already done for us. Jesus or Yeshua means ‘Saviour’, and that is what Jesus is to all who drink from the well of salvation.

“I will praise you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
    and you have comforted me.
Surely God is my salvation;
    I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense^[a];
    he has become my salvation.”
 With joy you will draw water
    from the wells of salvation.” – Isaiah 12:1-4

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” – Isaiah 55:1

Many, similar to myself years ago, are thirsty for love, peace, joy, acceptance, forgiveness, a righteous life, a life free of addiction, a happy healthy life, a loving family family. If you have a Bible in modern English start reading about Jesus for yourself and share your heart and pain with God who loves you more than you could ever know. If you here of an Alpha course being offered at a church or centre look it up, you will not be disappointed.

CLICK HERE to find out how you can purchase this book, or just fins out more about it. Though it does not mention God or Jesus, this book shares the values which are expressed in modern counselling and the Bible. For lets face it, Our life instruction manual is what our Creator has given to us, anything else will lead to stagnacy.

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Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

Member of Birdlife Australia

To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

And learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.