Black-faced Woodswallow mating
Artamus cinereus
October 20th, 2019
Lake Tyrrell, Sea Lake, Victoria, Australia
Canon EOS 1D X Mark II
Canon EF 600mm f4L IS II USM lens
Canon EF 1.4x III Extender
One of the other bird species that we found at Lake Tyrell were these subtly beautiful Black-faced Woodswallows. Several pairs were constructing nests in the small trees & dense shrubs that are dotted around the lake.
I noticed one of these birds frequently return to this particular branch while it was hawking insects. On this occasion, another bird flew in to a nearby branch & both began what I now know is a type of mutual mating dance (I witnessed it 3 times over my visits to the lake). Both were very slowly moving their wings & tail about in an almost synchronised manner for around 20 seconds or so when suddenly the male flew in & the pair mated. The whole affair was over in a matter of seconds but I managed to snap a couple of frames in time.
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