20210707-MMPI0076

One night I looked out the back of our yard and noticed a beautiful Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) perching atop our clothesline. I crept down with my best low light camera and lens combination and tried to hold super-steady in the low light. We've had these birds in our back yard several times over the years we've lived here - they perch on the clothesline and watch for passing flying insects which they swoop on silently and catch on the wing. Fortunately these birds sit very still so I was able to snap a couple of good photos handheld at a very low 1/6th second shutter speed. A magic encounter with this plump bird which certainly knew I was there, but completely ignored me sitting a few metres away on the back steps.