White-browed Robin luck only for the local

Why be expert when being lucky works so well sometimes? Chasing White-browed Robin (Poecilodryas superciliosa) in Tyto yesterday, with handheld 600mm lens, mistakenly ended shooting on pre-set aperture f11 rather than manual f11. Result was shutter speed of 1/30 instead of 1/800 (with fill flash, -1).

Miraculously one of three images proved almost tack sharp in spite of snail-speed shutter. But wait, there's more luck. For another hour or more tried to find a robin for two birders from Sydney. Not a peep or even the briefest of glimpses. Of course after they'd reluctantly been forced to quit the hunt another three birds showed themselves, without offering anything like so attractive a setting. Sorry, Nancy and Dirk!

Did get Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) in super setting. Too far off and so a big crop, but all else is bang on (after minor twig removal).

Reverse case with Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta). Almost certainly the only one of its species in the wetlands, the bird stayed so close underfoot the 600 couldn't focus and all efforts to get in-flight shots failed totally.