Sydney Bird Walk

Join Robin for a morning improving your bird photography skills. The difference between soft and out of focus shots is usually a matter of technique and camera settings rather than your camera.

Birding and Wildlife workshops require an flexible approach for exploring what is presented to us on any given day. I always keep an open mind for what pics we are going to bring home knowing that the emphasis today will be on improving your technique and capturing sharper images.

Long Reef is a large headland in the Northern Beaches of Sydney with an extensive rock platform .

The outermost portion of the rock platform is excellent for migratory shorebirds including Pacific Golden Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone and Red-necked Stint. These species can be found in abundance from Spring through to Autumn, although smaller numbers of the latter three species often stay throughout Winter as well. In winter, Double-banded Plover is a frequent migrant to the rock platform.

Sooty Oystercatcher is common around the edges of the headland, and flocks of Greater Crested Tern can be reliably seen, as well as Caspian Tern. Seabirds can be also seen when looking over the ocean, including Black-browed Albatross, Wedge-tailed Shearwater and Short-tailed Shearwater. The rock platform is also one of Sydney's best locations to reliably see Osprey. The headland's cliffs are a good spot to see Australian Kestrel.

The osprey just love to fish the platform on the high tide soon after dawn so we will have a good opportunity to capture them this day.

NOTE: it will be high tide at 0830 that morning so gumboots or waders will be essntial for accessing the rock platform - be prepared to wade through water up to your knees at times if you wish to. I wear gumboots and then have a change of clothes back at my car so I dont worry too much about getting wet. I dont want to miss a pic!

NOTE: if there are storms and super high tides this event will be moved to another date.

• Camera settings
• Focus settings
• Managing strong light
• Using light as your friend
• Composition choices
• Researching your environment - who's visiting the platform this season?

• Camera / Batteries / SD card - a fast card is best
• The Longest Lens you have.
• Warm clothes
• Gumboots / or waders / rock shoes
• Tripod or Monopods are welcome if you wish but not necessary to a successful outing.