Testing the Canon EOS R5 Mark II at Narooma
After familiarising myself with the Canon EOS R5 Mark II with photographing around Canberra, I took it with me to Narooma, NSW, to continue to get used to it. I was hoping to find some good photography subjects and I was not disappointed. One of the wonderful birds I encountered was a juvenile Black-Shouldered Kite. The experience of photographing that bird alone was enough to make my time in Narooma worthwhile, but I also found a number of other subjects as well. I hope that you enjoy the photos in this post.
Black-shouldered Kite juvenile
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 100, 500mm, f/9.0 and 1/500])
I was out on the northern sandflat of Wagonga Inlet, near the Bar Beach, photographing a Royal Spoonbill when two birds flew overhead. One of them was a Willie Wagtail, chattering loudly at the other bird, a juvenile Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris). They few over to the low scrubland where banksias and other plants grew. The Willie Wagtail was not happy that the kite was perching in a tree, overlooking the inlet. I, on the other hand, was hoping that that the kite would stay put while I finished photographing the spoonbill, and thankfully the kite did. When I made my way over to where it was, I approached it in an arc, pausing every now and then to take some photos in case my next step scared it off. I was surprised how close I was able to approach the kite without spooking it. Because it was a juvenile, it was probably a little unsure about humans and whether we were threats. This bird may have been exploring the sandflats for food, because they like open areas where they can spot their food such as small rodents and similar creatures. An animal they are very fond of eating is the introduced House Mouse (Mus musculus), making them useful allies in controlling mouse plagues. When hunting, they are able to ‘hover’ in one location with their wings in a v-shape before diving on food, which they can eat while flying.
Royal Spoonbill
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 100, 500mm, f/10 and 1/500])
A sole Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia) was feeding among the Neptune’s Necklace seaweed on the exposed sandflat. It was wandering through the seaweed, dipping its spoon-shaped bill into the water searching for animals. Although this bird was by itself it was still sporting its breeding colours on its head. However, it gave no indication that it was gathering food for young birds, because it appeared happy to wade along the sandflat, rather than fly back to a nest with food. The range of this species of bird extends from Indonesia, through PNG, into Australia and across into New Zealand. Unfortunately, Royal Spoonbills do not handle a disturbed habitat well so human development activities impacting their areas puts them under stress.
Australian Pelican head
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 100, 428mm, f/9.0 and 1/400])
Narooma has a regular group of Australian Pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus), and a number of them have learnt to gather around boat ramps when the amateur anglers are returning in their boats with the day’s catch. The fishers will clean their catch at publicly provided cleaning stations right beside the water and the pelicans, along with other animals, have learnt to gather at the stations for an easy feed. This pelican was waiting further back than most, despite being as large as the others. Maybe it knew that somebody would eventually throw food its way, rather than fight it out with others for food. These are large birds and their bills develop lovely colouring during the breeding season, making for a wonderful photograph. Beyond that, their size and readiness to interact with humans makes them a popular subject for tourist photographs. Around Narooma, they are an easy site for a visitor to snap a photo of.
White-faced Heron
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 160, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/500])
A White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) was also taking advantage of the low tide to wade through the water looking for food. These birds also feed in fields with low growing plants, where they will happily eat insects, including those that may eat the crops within the fields.
New Holland Honeyeater and on a Cape Honeysuckle
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 640, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/400])
A small group of New Holland Honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) rule the backyard of the house we stay in at Narooma. Sometimes they will chase other honeyeaters away although not all the time but they are very possessive of the Cape Honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) tree. Despite the tree being a native of Africa the long tongues of these birds can easily access the nectar inside for a feed. Contrary to their name, these birds also eat small invertebrates, such as insects, sometimes flying after them to catch them.
Australian Fur Seal
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 160, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/400])
This Australian Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) was one of the animals gathered to get an easy feed from the returning amateur anglers in their boats. Despite its size, it did not push out the birds that had also gathered for the feed. It was also remarkable to see the seal go from standing like that to swimming gracefully, in just a shallow bit of water. The group of seals that basks on the southern arm of the inlet rocks are spreading upstream. This one was around a loop in the inlet, and one is often seen lulling about near the oyster leases on the southern sandflats near Fosters Bay. In the past humans hunted these seals for their fur but now, in Narooma, they are becoming a tourist attraction, especially on the southern side of the inlet, where visitors can be seen photographing the resting seals below them.
The Canon EOS R5 Mark II and Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom once again performed sensationally, capturing some lovely photographs. The focus tracking was easy to use and I am becoming accustomed to the controls. I prefer to change settings while I am looking through the electronic view finder (EVF) and I am even starting to use the quick access menu through the EVF. Reducing movement around the camera is a great aid for wildlife photography because it reduces actions that may disturb an animal.
By reducing movements, I was able to approach the juvenile Black-shouldered Kite much closer than I would have thought possible and I was more than happy with the photographs that the camera produced. It was another wonderful experience with the Canon EOS R5 Mark II and the wonderful wildlife of Narooma.
Thanks for reading this post and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the south coast of New South Wales has on offer. All the best until the next post.
