This morning I determined to look for other visitation sticks on the opposite, sunlit side of the headland, reasoning that I was getting into a rut with the ones I'd discovered last week. I found nothing, although I noted the presence of a couple of spangled drongos that are worth keeping in mind through the winter. They're habitual hawkers and perchers.

So I surrendered to the comfort zone and went back to the sticks I've been haunting this last week. Arriving there about an hour later than usual I knew that the early morning bird activity would be tapering off. How could I do something different? Easy...change PoV.

I set up my tripod on the other side of the sticks for an opposite viewpoint. Within a couple of minutes I saw a pair of little wattlebirds winging my way and started shooting in burst mode when they were about five metres from the sticks, hoping that they would alight. They did, and with style that I could later choreograph.

A composite of three frames—one horizontally flipped—worked entirely in Photoshop. I desaturated each bird and gave each a slightly different photo filter tint. The sticks received a similar treatment and a tint of their own. The blended background textures are: granite from Lake Copeton (2015); and swirling froth on the Severn River in Kwiambal National Park (2010).

1/2000th | f4 | 600mm | ISO 400 | tripod
Available as a print, canvas, aluminium panel or greeting card ®

Social media comments
Des Crawley: This is not a photograph...it is a bloody symphony.....well done maestro. What a cracker series you have generated.