Third Visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park

Welcome to 2020.

Early into the year, we made a third visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park, this time with some family members who had come to visit and stay with us for a few weeks.  It was their first time to the park, and they enjoyed it immensely.

On previous visits, I have been able to capture some pleasing images of the animals there, and it was no different this time.

On this visit, the sky was nice and overcast, which made for very pleasing shooting conditions, as the light was soft and even, and there were no harsh highlights or glary conditions with which to contend.

When first entering the park, one is greeted with the red-necked pademelons, amongst other marsupials.  These little critters are very cute, and I took the opportunity to pet and feed them, as well as photograph them.

Cute Critter

Early into this visit, a striking and richly coloured golden pheasant was perched in a good location, so I captured numerous images of this bird, which is adorned with intense red, blue and yellow plumage.

Golden Pheasant

Because we arrived at Featherdale Wildlife Park when it opened for the day, being able to shoot in the lower, overcast light in the early morning required much higher ISO ratings than usual.

Nothing screams cuteness more than a koala, one of Australia‘s unique animals.

Koala Cuteness

Sadly, during the horrific Australian bushfires in the summer of 2019–2020, many wild koalas perished, and the population has shrunk to dangerously low levels.

This little creature is fortunate, in that he lives in Featherdale Wildlife Park, and does not have to contend with bushfires and drought.

Every time we visit, I always take the opportunity to photograph the penguins.

It is always a challenging exercise, as penguins tend to be highly active, and often flock together, so isolating one bird for a clean portrait is a game of patience and quick reaction once the moment is right.

Portrait of a Little Penguin

There are many more animals to see and photograph at Featherdale Wildlife Park, and I am sure that we will visit again.