TARA SMITHSON -Wildlife & Nature Photographer 📸

Feeling down? Go on a nature walk; you will feel 23% better. Be creative. Help someone else. (That's a good'n.) Talk to someone you can say anything to. Nothing stays the same forever, good or bad. You will get through it. #mentahealth #birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography

Nankeen Kestrel thinks she's in a John Woo movie.🕊️ 🕊️🕊️ Females have a cinnamon-rufous or brown crown that matches the rest of her back and the male has a distinct grey to blue-grey crown and nape. 💃🕺 #BirdOfTheDayTheme is #Branched Alt theme is #Grounded #Birds #Nature #Wildlife #ECK #Raptor

I'm a fierce predator, don't let my floofiness fool you. 🪶 Did you know, I like to eat small turtles, snakes, lizards, frogs, mice, small birds, and the occasional stolen sausage right off a hot BBQ. 🍔🔥 📷 Laughing Kookaburra. 🇦🇺🦘 #Branched #BirdOfTheDay #BirdsOfBlueSky #Nature #Wildlife #Birds

Caught these silver gulls right at the sweet spot of golden hour. 📸☀️ Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead. 🙋‍♀️🌞🌏 #BirdPhotography #BirdsofBlueSky #Birding #Nature #Wildlife #Beach #BirdOfTheDay #Ocean #Gulls

Two Mynas have their #FightingFeathers out for #BirdOfTheDay alt theme. 🥊🪶 #Birds #BirdPhotography #Wildlife #Nature #BirdsofBlueSky

Once the spring and summer breeding season ends, male superb fairy-wrens shed their bright feathers for a muted brown "eclipse" plumage, making them look almost identical to females and young birds. 🤎🐥 #BrownBirds #BirdOfTheDay #BlueSkyBirds #Nature #Wildlife #ECK #Juveniles

Equipped with an extra-long tail for balancing high in the canopy, the Brown Cuckoo-Dove is built specifically for reaching the trickiest fruit on the thinnest branches. 🍇🪽 The evening light was streaming down. 🌞🌳 For #BrownBirds #BirdOfTheDay theme. #Nature #Wildlife #Dove #ECK #Australia

This female Osprey was enjoying first light and observing the world. 🌞 99% of an osprey's meal plan consists of fish. They occasionally prey on small mammals, reptiles & amphibians, birds, crustaceans or invertebrates. #BirdOfTheDay #LMNO #Nature #NaturePhotography #Wildlife #Raptor #Osprey

I'm hitting the offline button early as the day is heading closer to a close here in Australia. 🦘 Wishing the world a peaceful goodnight or good morning! 🌅 #Sunset #Sunrise #Beach #Ocean #Naturephotography #seascape #Peace #Dusk #Dawn

A little corella affection 💚🤍 sharing a moment in the sunshine, full of gentle nibbles, playful wings and feathered friendship. 🦜🌿 #BirdOfTheDay #Green #Corellas #BirdPhotography#ECK

Common starlings are famous for their iridescent black feathers shimmering with purples, greens, and white spots. In contrast, uniform matte-brown juveniles keep their modest, unspotted plumage through summer before moulting into their iconic speckled look. 🧥🐦‍⬛ #Juveniles #BirdOfTheDay #Nature

When threatened, a Cunningham’s Skink bolts into a rock crevice and inflates its body with air. This wedges its sharp, backward-pointing spiny scales tightly against the stone, making it physically impossible for a predator to pull them out. 🛡️🪨🦎🤔...Happy Days! 💽 #Reptile #ReptilesOfBlueSky #Lizard

The Orange-footed Scrubfowl are notorious for being smaller than their close cousins- the Brush turkey 🦃(Megapodiidae family) - but building even more ridiculously huge mounds as nests - sometimes up to several metres tall! 📸 Cairns, North QLD #Birds #Nature #Wildlife #BirdOfTheDay #ECK #Seasonal

Although he looks like a grumpy old man, this Grey Fantail is most likely fresh out of the nest. 🐥 It's Spring in Oz right now. 🌸🐣 600mm lens. buymeacoffee.com/tarasmithson if you'd like to support my photography. ☕🙏 All photos are my own. #Seasonal #BirdOfTheDay #BirdsOfBlueSky #ECK #Nature

Raven in the backyard at dusk. 🌆 🐦‍⬛ @atlanticbirding.bsky.social says #BirdOfTheDay theme alt is #Corvids (any crow species) #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Wildlife

Low and slow over the water. Absolutely love the contrast on these massive wings when the sun hits just right! 📸🪶 #BirdOfTheDay #Black&White #Birding #ECK #nature #wildlife

When you choose a muted tone ensemble to dinner so you don't draw attention to yourself... 🦜🥸🧥🦜 📷 Pacific Black Duck amongst Rainbow Lorikeets. #BirdOfTheDay #Colourful #Colourful #duck #lorikeet #Birds #BirdPhotography #ECK

In the wild, a rainbow lorikeet's vivid red, blue, and green isn't just for show—it can be a high-visibility camouflage in a tropical canopy where sunlight dapples through bright green leaves and exotic flowers. 🦜🌺🌼🌴 #Birds #BirdPhotography #BirdOfTheDay #Wildlife #Nature #ECK #Colourful #colorful

As this young Aussie Willy Wagtail grows up and goes through its first adult moult, all those brownish and rusty-tipped feathers on its back and wings will be replaced by rich, glossy jet-black plumage. 🍂🪽 #Black&White #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotograph #Wildlife #ECK

The White-faced Heron and the Masked Lapwing says goodnight to you from Australia. 🦆🐦‍⬛🌊 Be still and let the quiet night hold you. 🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️ #birds #BirdPhotography #Sunset #Wildlife #Nature #NaturePhotography #ECK #Photography #Dusk

Kookaburras are just cute chunky birds with #LittleLegs for the #BirdOfTheDay theme. 🐦‍⬛🦵 These ones like to while away the hours in the neighbour's tree. 🕰️☺️ #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #Wildlife #NaturePhotography #ECK

Not sure what this White-faced Heron was eating. Something gelatenous. 🎣 🕊️ Have a great week, world! 🌏✌️ #BirdOfTheDay #Reflection #Birds #Birdphotography #Nature #Wildlife #Eck

Seagull putting his best (orangey-red) foot forward at #Dusk for #BirdOfTheDay #Larus theme. 🏖️🌊🌇 Goodnight from OZ. 🦘 #BirdPhotography #Birds #Nature #Wildlife #ECK

"Why, hello stranger. What a lovely evening for a walk on the grassy promenade.🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ Two homing pigeons in my cousin's backyard in Cairns at #Dusk for #BirdOfTheDay alt theme. Main theme is #Dawn 🌇🦜 #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Wildlife #ECK

Hard Head at #Dawn 🌇 for #BirdOfTheDay Hardheads are Australia's only true diving ducks, capable of plunging deep underwater and staying submerged for over a minute to forage for food. 🤿 🦆 The morning light was magical this day. 🌅✨ #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Wildlife

I loved this beautiful Torch Ginger in the Cairns Botanical Gardens. 🌺✨🌿 🌸🍃✨ Despite looking strictly like an ornamental wax flower, it’s a beloved edible ingredient across Southeast Asia. 🌏🥘🌺 #flower #flowers #ECK #nature #naturephotography #flowersonbluesky 🌸📸🦋 🌼

The Bush Turkey loves city living where I am, building ground nests the size of a small car in the front yards of apartment blocks. 🦃🇦🇺🌳 A few weeks ago I saw one ripping apart a plastic bag full of empty bottles. 🍂🏙️✨🍶 #BirdOfTheDay #UrbanBirds #wildlife #nature #Birds #ECK #naturephotography

Metallic Starling #LookingDown for #BirdOfTheDay ✨🐦🌟 Their iridescence is created by microscopic feather structures that act like prisms, scattering light into shifting green and purple hues as it moves. 🌈🪶💫 #birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife

When a Curlew feels threatened, its primary survival technique is to drop flat to the ground with its long neck stretched out. 🌿🐦🦆 Also, why do Curlews always look nonplussed? 😑🧐🤔 #curlew #birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #naturephotography

My cousin has a few of these lovely chickens. What a face! 🐔🐣✨ #chicken #bird #birds #nature #wildlife #farm #photography 📸🌿🐥

Spotted this red-legged pademelon on a hike up the mountain in Cairns. 🌿🦘 🍃✨ Apparently they're not seen very often. 🔍🐾 #Pademelon #AustralianWildlife #NativeAnimals #Marsupials #RainforestWildlife #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography #ECK

Metallic starlings migrate down from New Guinea each year to breed in the tropical north of Australia, bringing their brilliant iridescent feathers to the local rainforest canopy. 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ 📸 In my cousin's backyard. (I'll be back in another week or so) #birds #BirdOfTheDay #nature #wildlife

Spoonbills sweep their bill through shallow water in a side-to-side motion, using highly sensitive nerve endings inside the tip to feel for fish, crabs, and insects by touch. 🥄🦀 Also, I'm off grid for a couple of weeks, see you soon. 🔌 #Birds #Wildlife #Nature #BirdOfTheDay #ECK

Pelican's shadow is a cartoon???? I took this photo with my phone a few years ago, but it always tickled me that the pelican's shadow looked like a cartoon version of himself. 👤 #LightAndShadow #BirdOfTheDay

I think this is a Brown Gerygone. Let me know birders. Photo taken in Sydney, Australia. 🔎🦜 #LightAndShadow #BirdOfTheDay

The Swamp Hen: Deep blue feathers, striking red shield, and legs built for serious marshland (or supermarket) car park navigation. 🐦‍⬛🛒🦵 #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #Wildlife #ECK

'That's one small step for the Australian Darter, and one giant leap for fishkind' - Neil Wingstrong. 🌔🧑‍🚀🪽💪 #CaptionThatBird #BirdOfTheDay #Nature #Wildlife #ECK #Photography

The white-faced heron has specialised oil droplets in their retinal cones that act like natural sunglasses, filtering out scattered blue-light glare. It also enhances contrast so it can spot a darting fish or a tadpole beneath the surface. 🪞🌞😎🐟 #Birds #BirdPhotography #ECK #Heron #Wildlife

Mallard Duck hybrid (likely a Mallard crossed with a Pacific Black Duck or similar dabbling duck), looking #scruffy in his colouring. The mottled tones are normal cross genetics rather than him playing in the mud or old age. 🎨🩶💚 #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #ECK #Duck

Cattle Egrets crossed oceans unassisted and followed livestock right across the globe, eventually establishing themselves all over Australia. They are originally native to parts of Africa, Asia, and southern Europe. 🌏🐄🐂🪽 #Elegant #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #Nature #Wildlife #ECK #BirdPhotography

Osprey hovering around the reef to look for fish dinner on #FlyDay. 🐠🦅 Have a great weekend everyone. ✌️🫶 #raptor #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #ECK #wildlife #Osprey

Spotted Dove late afternoon for #Pigeons&Doves #BirdOfTheDay theme. 🧣⚫⚪ Introduced to Australia in the 1860s. 🚢 #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #Wildlife #Pigeon #Dove #ECK

Bird: Masked Lapwing. 🎭🐦‍⬛ 'Calculating the exact distance at which I need to start dive-bombing you.' 📏💥🪽 *PSA: I have a 600mm lens. So the Lapwing (Plover) is not as close it appears. 🚧⚠️🙅‍♀️🤕🦅 #Birds #BirdPhotography #Nature #wildlife #ECK #NaturePhotography #EastCoastKin #Plover

Wherever you are in the world right now, I hope your day has a bit of magic in it - and if not, let this golden hour tide you over. ✨🌆 Goodnight and peace out from Australia. 🌏🪃🦘 #Sunset #Photography #landscape #beach #Australia

Pekin Duck at Centennial Park, Sydney. 🏞️ Whhhyyy helloooooow! 😉 #ODG #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #ECK #NaturePhotography #Wildlife

Whether this could be a quick stop at the bakery... or just picking up building supplies for the nest, this Australian magpie has had a busy Thursday. 🥯🪺 #Birds #Nature #Photography #BirdOfTheDay #ECK #Photography

Standing on one legis an energy-saving heat-conservation trick. Birds lose a lot of body heat through their unfeathered limbs, so tucking one up inside their warm plumage minimizes heat loss. 🦵 📷 Spoonbill 🥄🐦 #BirdyLongLegs #BirdOfTheDay #Nature #Wildlife #ECK #Birdphotography

A weed started growing in my pot plant so I let it flourish to see what it would become. It grew and dark berries sprouted...Then, birds like the Noisy Miner would come and eat them. 😋 Thanks Nature! 🍇🐦‍⬛💩🌱🍇 #BirdsWithBerries #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #BirdPhotography #ECK #Nature

Swamp Hen says goodnight from Australia. It's dark and time to get tucked in here. 🐦🔦🛏️💤 #Birds #BirdPhotography #ECK #Nature #Wildlife #EastCoastKin #BirdOfTheDay #photography

Red-browed finch in the reeds looking for seeds! ❤️🤨 These guys live in tight, highly social little gangs that spend all day chattering away in dense tall grass and will build dummy nests to confuse predators. 🥷🪹 #Finches #BirdOfTheDay #Nature #Wildlife #ECK #EastCoastKin #BirdPhotography #Birds