QUEST of the EASTERN BRISTLEBIRD | DRAGONS DEN

Dragons & Bristlebirds.... could this video be any more amazing!!
Nimal heads over to the remote wilderness of Howe Flat with a group of birders to search for the rare & very elusive Eastern Bristlebird. Braving snakes and a tick infested landscape... they search for a little tiny brown bird rarely seen or photographed. Will they be lucky enough to see one?? Will the captain of the boat return to pick them up... or be stranded forever in hostile territory??
Meanwhile, on the other side of Mallacoota, Karen heads off to her happy place to hang out with the local Water Dragons. Will they trust her to pop out & bathe in the sunshine.... or hide away from an intruder invading their den??
All will be revealed in this video!! And if you would like further information on the Eastern Bristlebird - ebird.org/species/easbri1
If you would like to go on your own boating adventure when in Mallacoota, call Dale at Mallacoota Cruises - www.mallacootacruises.com
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/night-...
uppbeat.io/t/arnito/o
uppbeat.io/t/corals/cycles
uppbeat.io/t/corals/skylight
Maps - Microsoft Bing
#birdphotography #realdragons #lizard #reptilelove #respectanimals #australianwildlife

[@pseudophotog]

Rocking those platypus socks!

[@naturephotographychallenge]

haha!! 😀 I love my socks! I have wombats, emus, bilbys, platypus, etc.... I think I need more! 🤣 ~ Karen

[@RoKidd-zr3wc]

Hi I used to work in Apollo bay and in my free time I would visit places on the Otway coast. Blanket Bay was one of my favourite and I would often see a Eastern Bristlebird in the vicinity of the toilets there.
I decided the "pit" toilets where attracting insects which the Bristlebirds where probably feeding on.
Unfortunately getting too close to 80 years I can't go out photographing birds the way I used to, so I am enjoying your videos enormously. Thanks so much.

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thank you so much! 😀 Those Bristlebirds are quite fun to watch aren't they!
I'm so glad that you are enjoying our videos. We started making them so we could look back & remember our trips & the birds we've seen. We are just so happy that we are able to now share our travels with other bird lovers who appreciate the beauty of our natural environment 🙂 ~ Karen

[@mervroberts5134]

I have been fortunate to have had a good sighting and so-so photo of the Eastern Bristlebird at Barren Grounds. Hoping you had a nice Christmas and look forward to watching many more adventures in 2024.

[@naturephotographychallenge]

You are so lucky to have had a good look at one! 😀 Happy New Year! We're still working on our adventures from 2023 so there will be lots of videos to come! 😃 ~ Karen

[@maxt_birding]

So sick! Love this!

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Thank you so much! 😄

[@Hummingbirder1]

Well hello there, and many wishes for a splendid birding/nature photography challenge 2024! To Nimal: congrats to getting the call, song AND the Rare & Mighty Skulker on video!! Wow!!! I don't care that the focus wasn't correct, what with all those branches in front of it. Just to find it and get it in the frame is difficult enough, imo.
To Karen: very nice Water Dragon (was that the name?) footage. You got that lizard's orange-patterned throat captured - chef's kiss -
Also: I forgot to comment on previous video (with the Beach Stone-curlews)... what was the crutch all about? Did I miss something?? It doesn't feature here...🤔

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Nimal was pretty happy to finally see an Eastern Bristlebird (but yeah... it wasn't easy to find or see). He was actually more annoyed that he missed seeing his nemesis bird (as the group split off) and they saw a Square-tailed Kite (but they didn't see the Eastern Bristlebird so I think he got the better deal). 😀
The Water Dragons were all Gippsland Water Dragons. Some are green, some have orange and the young ones are mostly grey. They are so amazing! And it's the place I love to go to when in Mallacoota. Quite a lot of tourists turned up when I was there, took a few selfies (didn't even notice the dragons) & left which was good. 😀 It's just amazing when you're the only one there!
What happened was I fell off a rented e-bike one week before we headed off on our East Gippsland trip 🤪 So silly!! Anyway, I didn't break anything but was on crutches to get around for quite a while. Finally came good at the end of the trip & got to go for one kayak while i was there. 😃

[@dylannewton76]

I'm in Jervis Bay Territory right now and heard 10 or more and saw one in exactly the same manner at Booderee. By the end they were mocking us on the walk out!

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Wow! That's great that they are doing well there. They really do appear to be difficult birds to see!! ~ Karen

[@CowboyJojosAdventures]

Well you did get to see some lizards. I hope none found any ticks or leaches on their bodies. Great adventure guys. happy New Year. 🙏🏼🤠👍🏼♥

[@naturephotographychallenge]

Fortunately, tick count = 0 😆 Lucky really! I LOVE those lizards!! It's always my happy place to go when I'm there 😀 Happy 2024 to you guys too!! ~ K

[@Calonectrisful]

Typical sighting of an Eastern Bristlebird. The one I saw at Barren Grounds wasn't much better. Bloody tough skulkers, they are.

[@naturephotographychallenge]

For sure!! 😄 One day we'll get a good look at one... but in the meantime they remain King of the Skulkers! 🤣 ~ Karen