The theatre of birds - Gabrielle Pounsett's photography

New Holland Honeyeaters

Looking at Gabrielle's photos of seven New Holland Honeyeaters sharing a puddle (on instagram 14.6.25), I could swear that she had caught them mid-theatrical performance. Jumping and flapping, the birds watch each other closely, some listening and others tweeting stridently, some sidling close for protection, others splashing extravagantly.

A former drama and photography teacher, Gabrielle spent years working with students on making and performing plays and films. Part of her job was explaining the importance of nuance and gesture, knowing that on stage everything means something. Perhaps a lifetime of pondering theatrical composition explains why her photos are so cleverly composed. 

Gabrielle’s interest in bird photography began with an ancient iPhone photo taken at the Merri Creek. It could have been a blue plastic bag, but turned out to be a beautiful kingfisher sitting on a low branch. With this happy discovery, Gabrielle was hooked on birding and her camera equipment duly updated. 

A favourite Merri Creek bird subject is the theatrically costumed spotted pardalote. Asked why she photographs them so often, Gabrielle says: “They are just so exquisitely bejewelled. How can you fit so much decoration on such a tiny, tiny bird the size of your little finger?” Admiring their plumage, Gabrielle says, “It all goes stripes, spots, splashes of colour. It just works.”

Spotted Pardalote

Many of Gabrielle’s photos are taken in her own garden. She lives moderately close to the Merri Creek, but much of her success in attracting birds comes from careful planning and planting of her own garden and guerilla planting of a neighbouring easement and nature strip. Intense negotiations with power companies and councils have allowed her indigenous trees (purchased from VINC) and understorey to prosper. Having provided this vegetation link, her garden now abounds with native birds, insects and animals, direct from the Merri Creek. At last count 38 creatures were photographed on site.

Another key ingredient to attracting wildlife is water. Gab has 5 bird baths. Particularly in this dry period, with wetlands parched, they flock to her bird baths, which she regularly tops up and cleans. The baths are visible from her front and back verandah, which, surrounded by correas, grevilleas and non-native salvias, make the perfect bird hide. The calling and splashing of bathing birds regularly draws her out of the house, to watch and photograph.

Gabrielle returns to the source of her avian visitors regularly, with a quiet walk along the Merri Creek, communing with nature. When watching for birds Gabrielle says “People will often stop and look, too, and ask me: ‘What are you looking at’. It’s a really lovely way to foster knowledge about the creek.” In turn, Gab often talks to MCMC workers. She says “I really like that councils and MCMC are aware of planting a thicket. I recently stopped to chat with them and ask what they were doing. “We’re planting more Robin habitat,” they said. My face just lit up, because the little birds are so vulnerable, so I think they are doing a great job. There’s always an idiot who cuts a tree down, but, as the MCMC crew said to me, “Don’t worry. We’ll plant 20 trees for every one cut down.”

Gabrielle produces a beautiful series of cards at the end of every year (usually sold at the Ceres Christmas market) and is currently reviewing her 8 years of bird photography for a seasonal artwork. Her Instagram account is @gabriellepamela50 (link here). Her work is often reposted on the @friendsofmerricreek Instagram account (link here). To register for Merri Bird watch link here 

Blue Banded Bee and a blue Salvia.