A fantail took a liking to me this afternoon and I spent at least half an hour taking photos of him. He'd come right up to me to eat bugs that I'd disturbed (he even ate one off my foot).

I started with the 200mm lens but it was getting difficult as he was getting within the 2 metre minimum focus distance. You know it's a good birding session when you have to reach for the 100mm macro.

As for size, the bird is about 16cm long and about half of that is the tail.

Oh yes, when I say "he" I mean it in a gender-neutral sense as I have no idea how to tell fantails apart.

#1: 200mm, not cropped. They don't usually sit on the ground like this.

#2: 200mm. Checking me out from a bit of framing.

#3: 100mm Macro. He's eating a large fly here. Normally they eat on the wing but this fly was too big for that.

#4: 100mm Macro.

#5: 200mm. He returned later in the day for a swim.
Earlier in the day I had re-levelled, scrubbed and refilled the pool (birdbath)
as our water had finally been declared safe to drink after the February earthquake.

#6: 200mm. Getting wet.

#7: 200mm. Looks like he's crash landed... but he's just having a good soak.

#8: 200mm. He would jump in for a quick splash (1-2 seconds each time) then return to his
perch to shake the water off. This is about the only "perched" photo I have with his tail spread open.

#9: 200mm. Another splash.

#10: 200mm. I'm not sure if he's coming or going here.