Birding in your parks
by Carla Caruso
When Dr Chris Bollen isn’t tending to clients as a GP or consulting, he’s often on the lookout for birdlife in your Park Lands.
As he describes himself on his Instagram page, @dr.birdnerd, he’s an “Adelaide-based birdwatcher, learning to use a Nikon D800 [and] finding feathered friends when running or riding”. (Sometimes he captures other wildlife on camera too.)
Recently, we chatted to the doctor to learn more about what makes him tick – and why he loves birding in your Park Lands.
Dr Chris Bollen on a ride through Summertown in the Adelaide Hills.
Hi, Dr Bollen. How long have you been capturing images of wildlife, particularly birds? And what do you love about it?
I have been a keen cyclist and runner for the past 30-plus years and have always enjoyed [doing] exercise while observing nature.
Over the past few years, I was using only my iPhone on these outings to capture interesting landscapes, plants, animals and birds.
But in September 2021, my brother-in-law – after giving me some constructive feedback on my photography – lent me his Nikon D800 digital SLR before I headed on a short holiday in the Northern Territory.
I had never used a SLR prior to this, so it’s been a big learning curve over the past 15 months. I bought a long lens (Nikkor 200-500mm) in late November 2021 as I quickly realised I needed more reach for the wildlife photography if the results were to improve.
“A pair of Australian hobbies (aka little falcons) was a surprise sighting in the Adelaide Botanic Garden [Park 11],” writes Dr Bollen. “I was impressed at their chosen landing platform being the cones of the Norfolk pine trees.”
What I love about the hobby is firstly being outdoors - and it requires exercise to get somewhere - and the opportunity to stop and notice things in the natural world that we may not notice in our everyday busy lives.
And then the next exciting step is the photographic capture of an animal or plant, and the realisation of all the small details which we frequently never notice, such as eye colours, feather patterns, or facial expressions.
I have enjoyed learning the technical aspects of DSLR photography, as well as learning to recognise our native bird and plant species.
Finally, it’s been a great hobby sharing the adventures with family and friends. At this stage, after only 15 months, it is just a hobby as I am keen to learn more and enjoy the journey.
“Watching the fast-flying birds at Rymill Park Lake [in Park 14], it’s often difficult to determine what you are seeing until the image has been captured,” Dr Bollen writes. “Tree martins have a different tail to the faster welcome swallows, which cohabit the small lake.”
You often take pics while out running or riding. Do you have any top tips for aspiring photographers?
Some photographers prefer to sit and wait for opportunities with wildlife, while I prefer to enjoy the journey and often watch for opportunities as I run or ride.
I will often return to places which have interesting backgrounds or have a seasonal variation, such as a flower or leaf colour change.
My tips for aspiring photographers are to be patient as the better pictures require some planning, and to think about the direction of the sun, the position of the background, and the composition which will make it more engaging for the viewer.
I enjoy looking for birds or animals which are near interesting flowers, or are doing something different such as feeding, fighting, flying, or flirting.
“The ‘Happy Executioner’, aka the masked lapwing or spur-winged plover, with spurs retracted,” writes Dr Bollen. “Sitting atop the Popeye on the River Torrens.”
Where is a great place to birdwatch in the Adelaide Park Lands?
Birdwatching is great everywhere in the Adelaide Park Lands.
Recently, I have spent time in and around the North Adelaide Golf Course (in Possum Park / Pirltawardli – Park 1), where the yellow-tailed black cockatoos and brown goshawks hang out in the big pine trees.
But the new wetlands at the southern part of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) are really good for rainbow and musk lorikeets, Australasian Grebe, eastern rosellas, wood ducks, welcome swallows, and even a pelican.
Kookaburras, corellas, and galahs are plentiful in the west Park Lands.
“Australasian grebe sitting on her nest in the Rymill Park pond [Park 14].” Photo: Dr Chris Bollen.
How much time do you spend each week on your wildlife photography, and what sorts of places has it taken you?
I usually try to have at least a one-hour session per week taking photographs, when running or riding, and there may be another hour over the week spent reviewing, sorting, and refining the images with [online photo editor] Lightroom.
“Here’s a beautifully marked raptor I saw while riding around the North Adelaide Park Lands.” Photo: Dr Chris Bollen.
What keeps you busy when you’re not meandering our parks?
I work full-time and divide my time between being a GP, with an interest in keeping older people well at [a clinic in] Hillcrest, and as a director of BMP Healthcare Consulting - a small healthcare consulting company with clients around Australia.
Our mantra is “helping you deliver safe, effective, sustainable care while finding joy in your work”.
[My] five sessions of exercise, from running to cycling per week, is an important part of my physical and mental health, and the new hobby of learning to use a digital SLR is important for brain health, plus the creativity is a positive mental health benefit too.
My wife and I enjoy travelling, and our consulting company takes us to most states of Australia to run education and training programs for doctors, nurses, and practice managers.
Dr Chris Bollen at the Mount Lofty Summit.
“I had the opportunity to watch two young collared sparrowhawks play-fighting over the North Adelaide Park Lands,” writes Dr Chris Bollen. “They then turned their boundless energy into terrorising the local magpies and magpie-larks.”