A PHOTO ESSAY
HAN VAN DEN HEUVEL is an avid
naturalist and photographer, and here he shares with us his love of the
local native birds.
Ever since my retirement in 2016, I have been able to spend more time in
nature doing what I enjoy – taking photos of birds and bees. I am very lucky
to live in a house that borders on Allenby Park Reserve in the northern
beaches district of Sydney. The variety of birds visiting our backyard is
enormous. I sit on the back veranda with my camera and wait for the birds to
come by. Believe me, it is not as easy as it looks to get a good
picture!
Planting natives like grevilleas in our backyard attracts birds like the
Rainbow Lorikeet and the Red Wattlebird. Even at night I get visits from the
nocturnal Tawny Frogmouth.
Allenby Park is home to a flock of about 30 Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. They
fly graciously through the park and make a lot of noise. Walking through the
reserve, I come across the Eastern Yellow Robin, the Eastern Spinebill, and
the Variegated Fairy-wren. I have also taken photos in the Pilliga Nature
Reserve about 300 kilometers north of Sydney, and at Dee Why beach not far
from our home.
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Eastern Yellow Robin
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Eastern Spinebill
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Laughing Kookaburra
Rainbow Lorikeet
Australian Magpie
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Baby Butcher Bird
Wattlebird
Royal Spoonbill
Laughing Kookaburra close-up
Seagull
Variegated Fairywren
A Photo Essay by HAN VAN DEN HEUVEL
