Lachlan Shire - 6 Night Bird Photography tour!

* 6 Nights Accommodation in Lake Cargelligo and Condobolin

* Twin Share - your own bedroom in a 2 Bedroom Cabin

* All meals and drinks included from dinner on the first night until breakfast on the last day

* Photograph from purpose built private hides for fantastic photographic opportunities

* Special Access to private properties

* Expert Photographic and Ecological Tuition

* Morning and afternoon field outings focussing on different birds & techniques

* Meet local bird experts and be part of the community

* Learn to use Ghillie suits, pop up blinds and other camouflage techniques

* A week filled with tips and tricks from the experts to take your photography to another level

* Small Guest to Guide Ratio! 1 Guide: 3 guests for maximum attention and learning.

* Maximum 6 guests!

* ALL SKILL LEVELS catered for

* Guides: Henry Cook & David Stowe

$4545 per person

twin share  

Thanks so much Dave & Henry,

It really was a fabulous trip and although it was my first bird photography trip, it won’t be my last!
You both did such amazing job.  Your photography skills & tips, bird and other ecological knowledge were invaluable - thanks for your patience with a newbie:).  I have a huge collection of images that I am slowly sorting through.  

Thanks again for making the week so special,

— Bron M

Our Lachlan Shire tour has become a highlight for us over the last few years. Changing conditions from wet to dry have made each trip unique and fascinating. In fact no two tours have been exactly the same, which makes coming back again and again so rewarding and interesting.
The tour officially starts around 3pm in Lake Cargelligo on the first day, and finishes late morning in Condobolin on the last day.
If you are coming from Sydney and would like to travel out with us rather than taking your own vehicle, we can arrange this at no additional cost.

We have deliberately scheduled this tour for late summer to make the most of warmer weather bringing birds into permanent water troughs both near Lake Cargelligo and Condobolin. It’s also typically the best time of year for Pink Cockatoos.
It may be hot, however we do our best to minimise this with early and late sessions, with rest time in the heat of the day in the air-conditioned cabins, and of course air-conditioned 4wd vehicles, and plenty of icy cold water on hand.

Major attractions of this tour are our connection with locals and the ability to photograph from purpose built hides.
These hides are fantastic as we can sit in comfort and shade and simply wait for the birds to come to us. Perfect perches, light and backgrounds make getting great shots easy!
Outside the hides we also teach you how to use other methods of concealment such as pop-up blinds and Ghillie suits.

It’s not just hide photography of course! This 6 night trip sees us visiting a variety of habitats from mallee to farmland and chasing stunning parrots, honeyeaters and fairy-wrens!

Lake Cargelligo & COndobolin

We spread our time based at both Lake Cargelligo, where the tour starts, and Condobolin, where we finish.
Accommodation is in 2 bedroom cabins at the local caravan parks. Nothing fancy but they are air-conditioned and twin share with your own bedroom.

We’ll provide some essentials for an early pre-shoot breakfast, then its out to get the good light!
We aim to get back each morning for coffee and a rest during the heat of the day then a later lunch before heading back out and coming back for a later dinner, or maybe even dinner out in the field

CAMERA SKILL
We pride ourselves on helping you get more from whatever camera you have, and increasing your skills regardless of your experience.
You definitely don't need to be an expert photographer with a super telephoto lens to enjoy this tour. Obviously for birds, the longer the focal length the better, however whatever camera you have there is no doubt that you will still learn a lot and have great fun doing it!

FITNESS
This is not a particularly physical tour. It’s probably our least physical. Most days involve early starts however we try our best to give everyone a couple of hours off at least in the middle of the day for a rest.
We are never far from our air-conditioned vehicles and there are no long arduous walks. Obviously walking on uneven ground through the bush requires a certain degree of balance and fitness. Our hide sessions don’t involve any walking.

Camera Techniques & Fieldcraft
The reason we have such small groups with 2 guides is to make sure we are constantly at your service to be able to give you advice on every aspect of camera settings & techniques, how to get close to birds, and of course how to capture better images

Hide Photography
For many people, photographing birds from a fixed hide is a unique experience. This tour is a fantastic way to learn to shoot from a hidden vantage point. Not only is it more comfortable and relaxing compared to walking around, it also provides the opportunity to control the light, perches and background, which helps create stunning images.

Camouflage
When we are not in the hides we will also be teaching you how to use various forms of camouflage and concealment, from Ghillie suits to pop-up blinds.

Bush Birds
We will also be out in the field searching for some stunning bush birds out in the mallee, and whatever we can find on our journey through a variety of habitats. These include farmland, state forest, mallee nature reserves, and even the odd drainage ditch if there are crakes in it!

Set-ups
You’ll learn some great tips on how to create set-ups that you can implement at home.

National Parks and Nature Reserves
We are a NSW National Parks Eco Pass holder and we have special permission to visit Nombinnie and Round Hill Nature Reserves near Lake Cargelligo, as well as Woggoon Nature Reserve near Condobolin.

Post Production
From experience we have found that everyone would rather be out in the field than sitting in a room during these tours, so rather than having something during this week, we have a 2 hour Image Review via Google Meet a couple of weeks after the tour. We get you to submit a couple of your best images from the week and then get together and watch Dave do a live edit in Lightroom Classic to show you a bunch of tips and techniques.
Of course conversation during the tour will always be full of these discussions too, and we certainly offer tips while we are out there too.

Private Property
One of the things we love about this trip is the personal relationships we have made through Rebecca & Sandy Van Dyk in Lake Cargelligo, and Warren Chad in Condobolin. We love supporting the work they do out there trying to encourage local landowners to love and save birds and their habitats, and in turn are granted special access to some great private properties.

NOT INCLUDED:

* Insurance- we strongly recommend both travel and camera insurance.
* additional snacks/personal items

NOTES:

* The tour will begin after lunch on the first day, and conclude before lunch on the last day. All Drinks are included within reason.
* It will most likely be quite hot (although not usually too humid) so be prepared with hat, sunscreen, appropriate clothing etc
* As with any tour, unfortunately we cannot control the weather or indeed the wildlife. We'll do everything in our power to find the best subjects to photograph however conditions can bring big changes from year to year.
* Whilst we want to get great images of as many of the special species from this amazing region as we can; this isn't a tour to try to quickly tick off as many species as possible and move on.
*We always strongly recommend that you organise your own travel and equipment insurance at the time of booking.

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