LOW LIGHT CONFUSION. BLUE MAOMAO SCORPIS VIOLACEA. The Poor Knights Island have been hollowed and shaped by the ocean into a web of caves, tunnels and cliffs. Rikoriko Cave is currently considered the largest sea cave in the world. In the perpetually dark environment, deep water species can be found in the shallow water, amongst shimmering schools of Blue MaoMao that confuse predators through their advantage of sheer numbers, and lone snapper lurk in wait for an easy fish meal. Rikoriko Cave, Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand. Nikon D800, Nikon 10.5mm, 1/13, f8, ISO400, Ikelite housing & twin DS161 strobes, handheld

SPOTTED BOWERBIRD, CHLAMYDERA MACULATA. I was in a bird hide each day for three weeks by a waterhole on private property all by myself. You start to feel one with nature, it was an amazing feeling. Sometimes I felt a bit lonely, but it was moments like this that kept me there.St George, Queensland. Canon EOS-1D Mk 1V, EF 70-200mm F2.8L is USM +1.4x, 1/500, f/8, ISO 1250, handheld

BROLGA, GRUS RUBICUNDA. Kakadu light. The clay lake’s abstract nature and contrasting subtle interplay between the brolgas is compelling. Shooting aerially with my landscape lens I had to get low to capture the brolgas in detail. With many sharp turns and some near misses it came together in one frame out of 200. Canon EOS 5D Mk II, 24-105mm, 1/640, f/11, ISO 800, handheld from a paraglider 

FAIRY TERN, STERNULA NEREIS. What a mouthful.The saying “your eyes are bigger than your stomach” is definitely the case for this fairy tern. I took this photograph to show what a determined little bird with a big appetite could achieve. Fraser Island, Queensland. Canon EOS-1D Mk IV, EF 500 f/4L IS II USM, 1/5000, f/4.0, ISO 250, handheld

SUPERB LYREBIRD, MENURA NOVAEHOLLANDIAE. Lyrebird in the mist. In a heavy mist this superb lyrebird was calling to another that was close-by from the granite boulders that crown the top of Mount Ellery in East Gippsland. East Gippsland, Victoria. Canon EOS 5D Mk III, Canon zoom lens EF 24 – 105mm, 1/800, f/6.3, ISO 1600, handheld, focal length 98mm

RED-SPOT NIGHT OCTOPUS, OCTOPUS DIERYTHRAEUS.Hunting night octopus. On a night snorkel in the Whitsundays, I witnessed a range of cephalopods taking advantage of the cover of darkness, such as this red-spot night octopus. This particular individual was hovering above the reef trying to catch shrimp using a range of amazing hunting displays as seen in this image. Whitsunday Islands, Queensland. Canon s95 (with FIX underwater housing), UWL04 fisheye wet lens, 1/160, f/5.6, ISO 160, 2 x Sea&Sea YSD1 strobes, handheld

GOLDEN ORB WEAVER, NEPHILA SP. and MISTLETOEBIRD, DIACAEUM HIRUNDINACAEUM. Incidental predation. The female golden orb weaver is a large and intimidating spider reaching an overall size of up to 200 millimetres. A male mistletoebird had become entangled in the web of this golden orb weaver mid-flight, failing to break free of the formidable golden silk. Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, Queensland. Nikon D7000, Nikon 28-300mm f3.5-5.6, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 1000, Nikon SB-700 Speedlight flash, handheld

PARASITOID WASP, SYCOSCAPTER SP. Pollinator’s parasitoid. For some days I watched these parasitoid wasps lay their eggs in some figs, attacking the tiny wasp that pollinates the species. These wasps, only three millimetres long, are just one example of how nature can be so stunning, so deadly and yet so tiny. Brisbane, Queensland. Canon Eos 60D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens with 135mm bellows, 1/250, f/9.0, ISO 100, Canon Speedlite 580EX II with diffuser flash, handheld

FIORDLAND CRESTED PENGUIN, EUDYPTES PACHYRHYNCHUS. Crashing home. Less than 2,500 breeding pairs of Fiordland crested penguins now exist. They are unique amongst penguins in that they breed and nest north of the subtropical convergence in the temperate rainforests of New Zealand’s rugged southwest coast and its outlying islands. Coming back to shore is not always easy.North of Haast, West Coast, New Zealand (South Island). Nikon d750, Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 320, UV filter, handheld

GREAT CRESTED GREBE, PODICEPS CRIASTUS. Family scene. To get this image I used a floating hide. Wading in chest deep water I observed and photographed this family from 10-15 metres away for about three hours without being detected. The male on the left was captured presenting a freshly caught fish to the hungry five-day old chick. Lake Wallace, New South Wales. Canon 5D III, Canon EF 800mm, 1/3200, f/11, ISO 1600, handheld 

RED NECKED AVOCET, RECURVIROSTRA NOVAEHOLLANDIAE. Good worm hunting. I saw a Red-necked avocet for the first time in 2014. I had a shot in mind of a bird siphoning a marine worm. After three months and countless attempts the day arrived when the bird, light, environment, worm and I all came together to make this image. Callala Bay, New South Wales. Nikon D4, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G VR II, Nikon AF-S Tele-converter TC-14E III, 1/2500, f/8, ISO 640, Jobu Designs gimbal head fixed to a boogie board. 

JAWFISH, OPISTOGNATHIDAE. That’s a mouthful. Jawfishes are mouthbrooders, meaning their eggs hatch in their mouths where the newborn fry are protected from predators. This jawfish was found in Ambon Bay, Ambon. Ambon Bay, Ambon, Indonesia. Canon EOS 7D Mk II, Canon 100 macro, 1/250, f/18, ISO 200, 2 x Inon Z240 underwater strobes, handheld, Nauticam NA-7DMKII underwater housing