Bird of the Week - Bernhard Schmitz Photography

Whilst I’m a fairly novice bird watcher, Suki the cat had always a great interest in birds for her own reasons. With the exception of cooked specimens, I tended to ignore feathered animals before I moved to Australia in late 2005 to join Mrs. Schmitz in Sydney. This changed soon after we settled in the suburb of North Bondi where the sheer abundance of colourful and exotic species sparked my interest in avian topics. I started to write down bird inspired observations which I put on this little weekly blog about Australia, Sydney and the feathered and not feathered locals.

Bernhard Schmitz & Suki the cat

SEE BIRD OF THE WEEK ARCHIVE >

The Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa) or Graufächerschwanz 2013/04/18

This small passerine builds a nest using moss, bark and spider's web that is said to resemble an elegant wineglass, quite similar in shape and proportion to the Riesling-glass that Austrian manufacturer Riedel produces.

The Freckled Duck (Stictonetta naevosa) or Affenente 2013/04/11

I know this isn’t the most spectacular shot of a Bird Of The Week, but I can assure you I was pretty excited nevertheless, when I came across this rare and vulnerable species for the first time two weeks ago at a wetland near Canberra.

Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) or Schlichtmantel-Dickkopf 2013/04/03

Although these little passerines are by no means rare or particularly shy I’ve never managed to take a usable shot until last weekend where I finally succeeded in a leafy suburb of Canberra. Mrs. S and I visit Australia’s capital at least once a year, a habit that surely makes us in the eyes of the most Aussies even more eccentric than we strike them anyway.

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