8 Day Bird Photography Workshop - Victoria - WildNature Photo Expeditions

We will leave Melbourne and head to Healesville to our base for two nights. From there to Badgers Weir and Toolangi State Forest, we will marvel at the ancient Mountain Ash forests of the Yarra Ranges. We will find ourselves surrounded by beautiful wet forests, laden with large ferns in the understory and towering canopy trees, with some Mountain Ash over three hundred feet tall! The great attraction is the Superb Lyrebird, indisputably the world’s most remarkable songster and mimic. While walking the forest tracks, we should see the delicate Rose Robin, Pilotbird, and Olive Whistler.

The following two nights, we will be based on the Great Ocean Road, widely regarded as one of the most scenic drives in the world. Around Aireys Inlet and Anglesea, we will spend time investigating this stunningly scenic coastline. We will seek out the region’s special birds, such as the endangered Hooded Plover, Rufous Bristlebird, Southern Emu-Wren, and Striated Fieldwren. From Lorne, we will visit the coastal rainforest of the Otway Ranges, looking for Gang-gang Cockatoo, Crescent Honeyeater, Pink Robin, and Olive Whistler.

Finally, we head to the Little Desert National Park for three nights, a vastly different environment from the forest and coastlines of the days before. We will be staying at the Little Desert Nature Lodge, which specifically caters to birdwatching and photographic groups. The Mallee around Little Desert National Park hosts the stately and shy Malleefowl, the world’s southernmost megapode, and there will be an array of spring-blooming ground orchids. Other special species that we will track down include the small Slender-billed Thornbill and skulking Rufous Fieldwren, as well as other sought-after species such as Blue-winged Parrot, Western (Golden) Whistler, Southern Scrub-robin, and the gorgeous Tawny-crowned Honeyeater. Patches of Stringybark Eucalyptus should hold Purple-crowned and Musk Lorikeets, along with the handsome White-fronted Honeyeater. In the afternoon of the last day, we will head back to Melbourne.

Michael Snedic, based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is an award-winning bird/wildlife and nature photographer, tutor, writer, presenter and photo competition judge. His photos have been published in numerous publications both in Australia and internationally, since the year 2000. He has been photographing across Australia (and overseas) for the past 27 years and he has loved every minute of it!

Michael is a Nikon School tutor In Queensland (but knows all brands quite well) . He is a writer of photographic articles for magazines such as ‘Australian Geographic’, ‘Wildlife Australia, ‘Australian Birdlife’ as well as ‘BBC Wildlife’, ‘Nature TTL’ and ‘WildArt’ (all based in the UK). Michael has also been a regular feature writer for Australia’s highest-selling photography magazine, ‘Australian Photography’, since 2006. He was also a judge for the Birdlife Australia Awards in 2022 and 2023. He is very passionate about wildlife and nature photography and loves sharing his images and photographic knowledge with others.

Barry Davies is an experienced Naturalist, Environmental Interpreter, Tour Guide and Tour Leader with a speciality in birds and is a Certified EcoGuide with Ecotourism Australia. In 2005 and 2009 he was Australian EcoGuide of the Year. In 1993 he won the prestigious Gold Coast Supreme Hospitality Award. In 2004 he started Gondwana Guides, where he has lead countless birding tours across Australia and the world. Barry and Michael Snedic have worked together on at least 15 birding/bird photography tours over the past 10+ years.