Skipper’s (B)log
Log of interesting sightings and interesting people
New breeding record for the Daintree River
Recently on the river there was a surprising new sighting. Significant enough to stimulate me to write the following for the local newspaper…
A Photographer on a Mission Revisits – Alfred Schulte
An old friend calls. He’s on a mission. He’s got photographs of most Aussie birds. Now he needs 3 more difficult species. The pressure is on.
Photographic monitoring of a rare occurrence – nesting Great-billed Herons
I had recently bought a remote sensing camera. Now the Great-billed Heron were nesting. Here was a great opportunity to study the herons…
Collection and taxonomic description of a ‘new’ plant with botanist Wendy Cooper
Wendy had asked me to call when a rare vine started developing flowers. I was worried that I would miss it and the opportunity would be lost.
Photographic workshop with a top local wildlife photographer, Juergen Freund
Juergen is leading a photography workshop on the boat. We’re seeing good stuff, taking good images but then I make a pretty big mistake…
Private photographic cruise for international guides, Inger Van Dyke & Mark Beaman
I’m halfway through my introduction, pushing upstream in the golden light of dawn. I’m listing what I hope to see when Inger exclaims, “There’s one!”.
Radio segment from the boat, Sean Dooley & Stephen Moss
Sean Dooley, author of the ‘Big Twitch’, is aboard and about to cross live from the river for his regular radio segment. I have a grand plan but will it work?
Private cruise for bird photographer and author, David Hollands
My passenger is one of the best bird photographers in the country. He’s writing a new book on herons. I need to find the Great-billed Heron.
Private photography cruise, Martin Willis & Steve Parish
The aim is symbiotic. Steve & Martin hope to obtain images of the river and its avian inhabitants and I’ll get to use some. But what will we find?