Up Close and Personal with Mr Fantail

One of the joys of living surrounded by native forest is the abundance of birdlife. We're fortunate enough that many of them also choose to make our section home; in the mornings we wake to the sounds of bellbirds and grey warblers  -surely one of natures most beautiful combinations - and throughout the day we'll hear the 'whump-whump' of kereru wingbeats and the chattering of smaller birds like riflemen, silvereyes, tomtits and fantails, like this little fella here.

I shot this tonight after taking the dogs for a quick stroll. I'd gone hunting in the bush for more macro shots, but unfortunately the light breeze made capturing foliage difficult, the longish exposure times I needed in the failing light not suitable for moving subjects. With my macro lens still fixed to the camera, I stood watching this fantail follow me around our bush block (a quarter acre on one side of the property). I prefocused on a branch on which he kept on coming back to after catching bugs on the wing, ready to shoot when he landed. 

I've noticed the fantails here are almost fearless and will almost rest on your feet if you stand still enough. Maybe there's hope that I will yet get even more of a close up!