Firetail in the reeds

A Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis) peers at me from a clump of reeds on the edge of Lake McKenzie, K’Gari (Fraser Island National Park).

Red-browed Finch, Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island.

A tenuous grip on life. Red-browed Finch at Lake McKenzie, K’Gari. Photo R. Ashdown.

I like this photo. It’s technically pretty poor, and composed in a fairly ordinary fashion, but it makes me smile as it brings back memories. Crouching in the sand, oblivious to anything else, all personal worries forgotten — completely in the moment with a camera, peering into reeds through a viewfinder and trying to get a single clear shot of a small bird that just won’t separate itself from the shadows. Suddenly it’s there, checking me out in a fashion most fearless for its size, before darting back into the reeds to join its crew.

Another small moment of life in the wild edges. Here’s to moments shared with little creatures of big personality.

A storm sweeps across Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island National Park. Photo R. Ashdown.

A storm sweeps across Lake McKenzie, K’Gari. Photo R. Ashdown.

2 thoughts on “Firetail in the reeds

  1. Robert Mancini

    You have just reminded me Robert of how long it has been since I ‘indulged’ myself and spent some time immersing myself quietly for a few hours in a bit of wildness. I know exactly what you mean re the losing oneself in the moment and the respite from personal issues & dramas, and perchance if you happen to capture a pleasing image of some hyperactive or elusive critter that’s a bonus. I reckon it’s wildness meditation a variation on green therapy. We need to get out there more often……

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  2. Charly Makray-Rice

    I love the photo of the finch on the reeds! Living among wetlands and prairies where most everything natural to our plant environment has attained a linear form, I’m passionate about the colors of the background players. They draw attention to the subject without overwhelming it in a way ordinary leaves, garden flowers, or sunny days never manage. The colors in the reeds are nature’s box of crayons. Thank you for visiting my site, please stop back again. Next week’s feature will be Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Shack and restored prairie.

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