Toolangi

Macro spiders at Toolangi

November 11, 2016 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

These photos were taking in December last year. I originally had a separate blog for entomology and birding but have recently combined the two.

Sometime that was surprising about the Toolangi area was that it was GREAT for spiders. Normally spiders would scare the bejeesus out of me. Thanks to nature photography, I am now fascinated.

Rich did tell me what the below spider was but alas, there was a lot of information to process that day. He did say there was two parasites on it, including that red mite.

I was using auto to get these shots so didn’t get the entire spider in focus. I have read that you need to widen the aperture to f8 to do this? Time to really read up on it 🙂

Spider Eating A Bug!

I was very fortunate to get this series of photos. Alas, I hadn’t got the hang of focusing at this point and the shots aren’t as clear as I’d like. Definitely something to work on for next time!

Cool spider web

This photo is something I’m pretty proud of because I managed to get the entire spider in focus. The web, not so much. I’ll be researching how to photograph spiders and webs. I also love the detail on the zig zaggy web below it.

Teeny weeny spiders

I can’t recall whether the below spiders are the same species or not. I suspect not. All I remember is in both cases they were small and I had massive difficulty with it.

All of these photos were rushed as we were primarily there to bird and were getting some great views of a pink robin at the time. Any macro photography was an afterthought. Despite this, I was really able to learn a lot and getting a solid understanding of the lenses potential.

Highly recommend the area for spider and bug photography.

Exploring Tanglefoot Walking Track in Toolangi

June 30, 2016 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

Earlier this year, I went birding around Toolangi with Carolyn and Grace. It was magical. The fact that they are allowed to cut down trees in that area is abhorrent.

This is post is less of a narrative and more a collection of pictures. I had just gotten the macro lens and was slowly wandering a bit further back from the rest of the group.

There are a couple of walks in the region that I would love to do, if I had the appropriate fitness and transport. I love it even more then the Dandenongs. Hope to explore here more again in the coming years 🙂

Toolangi Ferns + Treelife

December 26, 2015 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

About a month ago, I went to Toolangi State Forest with some friends to go birdwatching. One of the places that had been recommended was the Wirrawilla walk.

WOOHOO! Yes, it is a great birdwatching destination. But the plants and ferns there are amazing. I had just gotten a macro lens and wanted to test it out.

These photos are a result of those experiments. I know they are mediocre. They were done in a hurry in between sighting awesome birds. There was a lot of frantic switching of lenses! I’d love to return here and spend 3-4 hours just photographing this walk. I also can’t wait to go back to Apollo Bay and do some macro magic there.

Grey Fantail Building A Nest At Toolangi

December 3, 2015 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

On Sunday, I went to Toolangi with friends to track down the black faced monarch and the many robins that were in the area. We had met up with some other birding friends when Caroline noticed this grey fantail building a nest.

At first I thought their may have been chicks on the nest so kept my distance. When I realized it was in the nest building phase, I moved forward to take more photos.

The nest is shaped completely different to what I thought it would be. The fantails would grab a little bit of spider web or other nesting material, place it in the nest, and then move their butt around to shape it. It was fascinating to see.

Late November/early December is a brilliant time for birdwatchers to visit Toolangi. I highly recommend it.

Pink + Rose robins at Toolangi

December 3, 2015 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

I love robins. When Carolyn asked if I wanted to go to Toolangi for the day I was incredibly excited. Not so much for the possibility of a black faced monarch or other rarities. I wanted a chance to get better looks at both the pink and rose robin.

It’s hard to describe what I love about them. Sure, I love the other robins I’ve seen. It could be their elusiveness – which is possibly why the red capped is my third favourite. I think it is just the magnificence of their colouring that appeals to me, how it blends with the background just right.

These guys were very busy in the Wirrawilla walk area. It was an incredibly busy day so they were quite skittish, but they would always return to the same area if you were quiet enough. I helped a number of people find this little beauty. I’d love to return on a day with less people and just spend the whole time exploring this one walk. It is a hidden gem for birdlife and other critters.

Here are my favourite photos from the day.

Details

I took these photos so you could see the colours from alternate angles. There is a light white colour above the tail and on the wings. On the second photo, you can see white around its cloaca. I don’t know if these are relevant but they may mean something down the track.

Rose:

We were on the other walk in the area, tracking down the black faced monarch. Suddenly someone pointed ‘rose!’

It was amazing. I had seen them from a distance but they are so much more striking up close. I’m not sure which of the two species I love more. We were also fortunate enough to see the female, something I didn’t see last time.

Female

So keen to return to the area. I was nicking off at every available opportunity to photograph the robins. I did get lifers and saw some beautiful birds but robins have captured my heart.