Some natural wonders can be assigned latitude and longitude coordinates. Others are fleeting and occasional, and appointments for viewing are not possible. The west coast of Victoria is well supplied with both categories. The photos below are of some of the fleeting offerings of Mother Nature in and around Apollo Bay which I was lucky enough to see. Each encounter was unplanned and a pleasant surprise. Serendipity fuels my photography.
The shots of the surfers were taken after I failed to find the wild easterly seas that the wind direction and strength promised at dawn when I woke up. The wind shifted as I drove away from my house and the waves changed from unruly rough seas to cracking surf. The Australasian gannets were the result of a drive to nearby Kennett River to find some elusive orcas of which I had heard reports. The orcas were a no-show. Finally, the feeding wattlebird youngsters were sighted from my deck when I went outside to check the windsock during the golden hour late one afternoon. All these photos were taken in the past week.
Local surfers making the most of an unexpected two hour session at this break
Some swell events have a long build up and are monitored by surfers for many days before the waves arrive. These waves were different in that the quality waves breaking at this location were unexpected. There was no shortage however of talented local surfers who either saw the waves or heard about them on the grapevine and made a beeline for this break. There are not a lot of occasions when waves at this spot are the best on offer in the district. But on this morning they were.
Unlike some other more reliable breaks in the area which have mechanically regular waves peeling off over reefs when wind, swell and tide are all aligned, the sea at this spot was moody and the takeoff positions were moving from set to set. There were no ruler lines of waves to the horizon, just glassy variable contours of energy moving towards the shore but not in any sense marching towards shore. There were lefts, rights and long close out sections. The size was not constant either, with the larger sets arriving earlier in the session. Local surfer Jordie Brown.
Professional surf, landscape & lifestyle photographer Katey catching the action.
There was a powerful side sweep from east to west (from left to right when looking at the first photo above). Some paddled out to the general takeoff area and found themselves heading west parallel to the beach for a couple of hundred metres. These boys were walking back to re-enter the water and probably to try something different to the 200m sweep west with return walk. That all four heads are turned towards the ocean suggests to me that they are examining the waves and shore break very closely with a view to avoiding a repeat walk. Local surfer Aidan finds a clean right.Earlier in the morning, the water was rough, then it was choppy until the wind backed around and got some offshore north in it. Then it lightened up, producing the glassy conditions shown. Beautiful texture on the water. A clean green face is where you find it.Local surfer Aidan on his backhand finding some speed to beat that lip. Finn Barry with plenty of speed off the bottom turn for what comes next…... .smashing the lip. This was a very classy move. Slight enlargement of previous photo to permit examination of some of the detail. All the speed washed off, then accelerating back down the face to go again. One of a number of ways to exit the ride when a wave starts to close out.Local surfer Aidan with speed to spare. Aidan putting that speed to good use with this cutback to return to the steepest part of the wave. Aidan leaving the wave.This is the first of four shots in a sequence showing Aidan getting a little barrel towards the end of his session. The lip enclosing Aidan inside the wave.You will have to take my word for it, but Aidan is behind this curtain. You can just see the nose of his board a third of the way up the wave at the point where it is breaking. Proof that he made it through. That’s the collapsed barrel behind him. Lone surfer eyeing off the shifting peaks advancing towards him in this moody sea. Driving to the surf break shown above, I passed this eye-catching location. I understand the waterfalls are called, ‘The Falls’. Fair enough too. Heavy recent rain created a high volume of water flowing over the falls on this day. For much of summer there is just a trickle or they are dry. This house has an uninterrupted view of the ocean from close quarters.
Diving Gannets at Kennett River
The Australasian gannet is a great favourite of mine. I had the privilege of a visit to a gannet rookery earlier this year. It was in effect a private visit with just me and the volunteer guide. For my detailed descriptions of the gannet and its remarkable skills, as well as close up photos of this beautiful bird both on the ground and flying, see this earlier post in my blog (published 26 February 2020) at:
Getting close enough to gannets plunge diving to enable a good photo is very difficult. These photos were taken from three different vantage points on the shore near Sawmills beach at Kennett River. There must have been a huge area of fish for them to feed on as the gannets were diving and feeding over a huge area. Unfortunately no part of that area was quite close enough to shore for the sort of photos I would have liked. Most of the photos below are small cropped sections of images taken with a 600mm telephoto lens at full extension. As a result the sharpness of many of these images has suffered, but I think the content is sufficiently interesting to publish them anyway.
Aerial Reconnaissance
The gannet’s search for fish (such as pilchards) starts up high. Its long slender wings are made for such soaring.Because the gannet can eat up to 5 fish caught on one dive, it probably dives not when it sees ‘a fish’, but when it sees a sufficient concentration of fish to make the prospect of success in diving and swimming around and catching fish quite high. In this shot you can see two birds on their way down. At top right the bird has banked to 90° before pointing its beak to the sea and building up speed for entry into the water. The bird two up from the bottom of the image is commencing his dive. The wings have been brought in to reduce their area and so reduce drag and allow the speed to build up. These birds are built for these aerobatic manoeuvres and have no hesitation in all the unusual angles and speeds. The transition from high speed flight to underwater swimming puts these birds in a class of their own. L: Dive decision made. R: Still looking. The wings assume this ‘W’ plan form as the gannet progressively converts itself into more of a missile to enable it to enter the water cleanly and penetrate to good depth before having to swim using its wings for any further depth. The large webbed feet are deployed in the dive manoeuvre for aerodynamic purposes, something like airbrakes it seemed to me. Deploying these high drag feet offers one more means of speed control.You can see the bird here in its low drag soaring configuration – feet tucked away out of the airflow, wings spread wide to maximise their area and the lift they produce. Attention to task on pilchard reconnaissance.
Diving
As the bird nears the water, the legs go back (landing gear retracts) and the tail is used quite extensively to assist with manoeuvring to keep it on course for its target point on the surface of the water. Just before entering the water the legs are streamlined against the body and the wings are further retracted becoming even smaller in area. The bird accelerates during this phase as it makes itself more like a spear and less like a bird. Beyond the point of no return. This bird is about to get wet.
To illustrate the image quality problem resulting from photographing a small bird in flight from a significant distance, the highlighted area in the image on the left is the cropped section which was enlarged to produce the immediately preceding photo. Hence the lack of sharpness in the image.
This bird is about to hit the surface of the water. Gannets can reach speeds up to 80kph at the point of entry. Notice how aerodynamically clean it is. The small splash it makes when entering at such speeds reminds me of the small column of water that comes up from the surface of the Olympic diving pool after a perfect 10 entry into the water.This and the following photo are a sequence of two shot in rapid succession. This dive commenced with an over-vertical manoeuvre. This is the first of a sequence of four shots of a bird diving and entering the water. Note the low splash made upon entry, and the streamlining of wings, tail feathers and legs.The only sign that a bird has dived into the water at high speed.
Red Wattlebirds Feeding Their Young
The red wattlebird is second largest of the honeyeaters native to Australia. Only the yellow wattlebird is larger. They feed primarily on nectar, but insects are also part of their diet. Their eyes open in a week or so and they fledge 2-3 weeks after hatching. They are fed by both parents for a further 2-3 weeks. The young birds shown below could fly and were probably nearing the end of their dependent phase. But they didn’t budge from this bough while the parent was prepared to go back and forth finding and bringing them food.
Fledglings waiting for a feed
One of the two juveniles waiting on the branch for food delivery. The parent always approached cautiously, sometimes flying into close range then alighting on a nearby branch before actually delivering the food. These birds had spotted the incoming food. The young birds seemed to stay in close contact. The air was quite cool – perhaps they were huddling for warmth, although those downy feathers look as though they would do the job.
Eyelids shut, eyelids open, nestling.Because receiving food can be a bit of rowdy and chaotic affair this bird has reflexively blinked while leaving its mouth wide open. Plainly it has faith the parent’s beak will find its mouth for the regurgitation transfer.
Fledglings Feeding
The parent on the left has his/her beak right inside the throat of the young bird with its mouth wide open. This ensures the regurgitation and transfer of food is efficient. These two had just been fed and the parent bird (with its red wattle clearly visible below its eye) was about to head off to find some more food. The young birds remain ever optimistic leaving no doubt that they are ready for more food. This shot was taken just after the parent had landed on the branch, and there was quite a bit of jostling and noise and moving around before the beak to beak transfer was performed with each in turn. The young bird on the left receiving food, and the bird on the right showing no patience at all as it awaits its turn. There is the appearance of an element of desperation in the young birds getting food. The young bird on the left is receiving food, and the other bird is sandwiched between it and the parent bird. The non-feeding bird stayed put, and didn’t seem fazed by being caught in the middle.
The attentive parent
This is the adult bird during one of its staged arrivals. The two young birds were nearby, but the adult landed on a branch and looked and listened very carefully before joining its young. The adult looked alert and on the verge of alarm most of the time. The young birds just looked hungry all the time. The day after these photos were taken, the whole routine with the same cast was repeated in another tree about 50m away. Spring is a wonderful time of new life and hope.
John, I devoured your stunning collection of local natural highlights. Thanks.
Impressive attention to detail in naming surfers and snappers, the exception being the “lip-smasher”, who’s identity I’m sure will soon be known to you. The concept of the bush telegraph playing out with all modern conveniences operable. The surfers got the mail you came by serendipitously.
The Australian gannet is a supremely evolved bird. I enjoyed your practical application of aeronautical terminology. The bird, on the other hand, is just doing its thing. Those fish swim in shoals for a reason. When your number is up, you don’t stand a chance against the gannet missile.
We have two breeding wattlebirds on the block this spring. A Red Wattlebird family and a so-called “little” Wattlebird crew, punching way beyond their weight division, as if offended by the name boffins have bestowed. They are proud birds, unfailingly defensive of their territory. I just wish they’d give a go occasionally to the little birds I’m trying to encourage onto the block. Your photographs nail the racket that is incessantly-by-day feeding time.
Thanks Mark. Pleased to hear that you enjoyed these slightly more permanent versions of otherwise fleeting moments of natural beauty.
As you predicted, it didn’t take long for the bush telegraph to identify the surfer in question. He is now named in the post, and deservedly so.
I think it’s high time you bought a decent camera with a quality telephoto lens and started capturing some images of the many and varied delights of that highly developed garden of yours. You wouldn’t have to leave the elevated deck on the north side of the house.
WB beach at sunrise, sunset and most other times might also be worth a few shots….
South 
Thanks John,
Great viewing. I hope you are keeping well,
Regards
Tim Godfrey Ph Mb +61(0)439776332 http://www.atolleditions.com.au
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Thanks Tim. All is well with us in AB thanks. Trust FNQ continues to treat you well.
Cheers,
John,
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Thanks Hunto. My quest for clear photos of diving gannets will continue!
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Great intimate shots of the wattlebird fledgling being fed GW
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John, I devoured your stunning collection of local natural highlights. Thanks.
Impressive attention to detail in naming surfers and snappers, the exception being the “lip-smasher”, who’s identity I’m sure will soon be known to you. The concept of the bush telegraph playing out with all modern conveniences operable. The surfers got the mail you came by serendipitously.
The Australian gannet is a supremely evolved bird. I enjoyed your practical application of aeronautical terminology. The bird, on the other hand, is just doing its thing. Those fish swim in shoals for a reason. When your number is up, you don’t stand a chance against the gannet missile.
We have two breeding wattlebirds on the block this spring. A Red Wattlebird family and a so-called “little” Wattlebird crew, punching way beyond their weight division, as if offended by the name boffins have bestowed. They are proud birds, unfailingly defensive of their territory. I just wish they’d give a go occasionally to the little birds I’m trying to encourage onto the block. Your photographs nail the racket that is incessantly-by-day feeding time.
Bravo.
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Thanks Mark. Pleased to hear that you enjoyed these slightly more permanent versions of otherwise fleeting moments of natural beauty.
As you predicted, it didn’t take long for the bush telegraph to identify the surfer in question. He is now named in the post, and deservedly so.
I think it’s high time you bought a decent camera with a quality telephoto lens and started capturing some images of the many and varied delights of that highly developed garden of yours. You wouldn’t have to leave the elevated deck on the north side of the house.
WB beach at sunrise, sunset and most other times might also be worth a few shots….
Cheers,
John
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Finn. An apposite handle for the lip-smacker.
Yes, you’re right about the camera. May have to give up work to fit that in with all my other hobbies!
That slider is a clever trick.
Cheers
Hunto
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