Tag: Sydney

Great Focus Target…by Brad Marks

Howdy everyone! Been busy around the Intrigued Headquarters this week. We turned on the lights in the haunt lab, fired up all the 3D printers which are now going around the clock and there are props in various states littered about the lab – it’s haunt season and, like every year, we are already behind schedule. It is clear the finger issue will need to be taken care of as it is slowing me down, especially on the heavier items – ugh, not like I need ANOTHER medical procedure to deal with. The good news is I did officially finish processing all the spoils from the January 2025 trip to Texas..yes you read that year right. On the bright side, plenty more fodder for future posts and now I can start on the March/April trip to Arizona which I believe netted me the most +1s in a single trip – I think you are really going to like those finds! While I try to get the scare factory back on schedule and put more thought into how to resolve the latest injury, Brad is going to take over and bring you another entry in his “Down Under” series. Unless you are from that area, you might want to turn your monitor upside down so you can read it easier..or stand on your head ha.

Take it away Brad…

One day during our photo assignment Down Under . . . I’m betting some of you may think I’m just reusing this opening line from other stories.  Well, I am, sort of.  Jan and I had a fantastic time in Australia and New Zealand, and ended up photographing over 130 different species.  All but one of these species was a +1.  That means there will be plenty more stories from the Birds Down Under series.

Today, I’m going to start with a bit of photography education, mainly for me, to help with today’s story.  Camera basic 101 (at least how I understand it): all auto-focus capable cameras, whether SLR, point-n-shoot, mirrorless, or smartphones need some sort of contrast to be able to achieve a sharp focus.  The camera sensor relies on finding sharp edges in the photo, contrast, or patterns, to achieve a sharp focus.  What better photography target for birders than one that is starkly black and white?  In other words, high contrast.  No fuzzy transitions between various shades of yellow, green, or brown.  I’m talking ends of the spectrum, polarizing black and white.

Australian Magpies found by Brad and Jan Marks on their trip to Australia

I think “Mama” took the Kodachrome tin and replaced it with Lomography Lady Grey. Hit the jump to learn more about this black and white specimen…while you try to get that song out of your head ha… “I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph, so mama don’t take my Kodachrome away…“

Continue reading Great Focus Target…by Brad Marks

Old Gum Tree…by Brad Marks

Sorry for the lag in posts, the first of the year bird count reset means we are in a target rich environment, especially down here in south Texas. Sun up to sun down we are chasing birds and then by the time I get the spoils offloaded to the storage drives (and the secondary storage drives), make the eBird submissions, update Intrigued’s Average Year bird tracker and write up the day’s trip report I am absolutely exhausted. My brother Ron was also able to join us for a few days so I’m trying my best to get him caught up – yes, our brotherly “competition” transitions to “collaboration” when we are in the field together. My slow start is picking up steam as I’m now on firm ground in the Texas top 100 birders list and steadily climbing. Even bagged a premier rarity for the Rio Grande Valley today – a nice gift for my birthday (today). More to come on that success, but for now, if you are interested you can get up to speed on where we’ve been on our Average Year status page (note, I have not been able to get the charts updated yet) – link here. Best of all, I’ve been meeting a number of wonderful and extremely helpful birders this trip – our feather community never ceases to amaze me.

While I recover from my birthday celebration, going to put you in Brad’s capable hands to bring you another very special bird from their trip “Down Under”. Take care everybody, I’ll be back once things start settling down here.

Take it away Brad…

The title of this story should get your braincells remembering a song from childhood.  That is, if you are over a certain age.  I’m not admitting to anything at all, mind you. 

Jan and I were on assignment down under.  We had just completed a long day visiting Taronga Zoo in Sydney and traversing everything there is to see at Sydney Harbour.  We spent a little while trying to find P. Sherman at 42 Wallaby Way (from Finding Nemo by Disney), but then decided it was probably time to find our hotel.

Sydney is a lovely city to visit.  There’s a bit of nearly everything for any visitor.  Sydney has tall buildings for the architecture lover.  There are great restaurants liberally sprinkled through the downtown area.  A few blocks away from the harbour is fantastic shopping, even some very high-end stores with queues forming outside an hour before the stores opened.  Not to mention the Sydney Opera House (a life goal) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, both right on the water.  In my humble opinion, Intrigued readers really must visit Sydney.  No, I’m not being compensated by their tourism council.  And yes, I’m using Australian spellings where they differ with their American cousins for this story.

On the way back from the harbour area, Jan and I decided to walk through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.  It was on the way to our hotel after all, and a great chance to look for birds.  Within seconds of setting foot in the botanical garden, our first photo subject was prepped and ready to go for us.  I was looking to the right side of the path at a Noisy Miner and Jan was looking to the left.  She lifted her arm to point at a bird in the tree and asked, “What’s that?”  Before I could turn to focus my attention, she had raised her camera and was firing away.

Laughing Kookaburra found by Brad and Jan

Not going to see one of these hanging out in one of our local trees, that’s for sure. Hit the jump to learn more about this kooky looking bird!

Continue reading Old Gum Tree…by Brad Marks