Jan Wegener

30/08/2026

POV: you’re trying to impress your crush… so you start drumming 😆🥁

This male Palm Cockatoo takes courtship to another level — showing off his drumming skills before finishing with the ultimate mic drop: a stick toss into the nest! 🪵💫

And there’s a purpose behind the performance. Those sticks help build the nest platform, keeping eggs and chicks safe from rising water during heavy tropical rain.

Have you ever seen anything like this?

25/08/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwu1GTVpjY
New video :)

Lightroom & Next Generation Photoshop Masterclasses!https://www.ja...

25/08/2026

There it is! You’ve only got seconds. GO!

Rose-crowned Fruit Doves are one of those birds that can test every bit of your patience. They feed high in the palm trees, usually appearing without warning, grabbing just 2–3 berries… and then disappearing back into the canopy for hours.

A super long lens (1200mm) shot from the distance helps lessen the steep angle, but when they finally fly in, there’s no time to think — you just have to react.

That split second is what makes the shot. 📸🌴

24/08/2026

“Wompoo” Any guesses where this guy got his name from? 😅
One of the bigger fruit doves here in Australia and also a treat to see with these striking colours and crazy sounds they make.
Wompoo Fruit Dove

23/08/2026

More birds than I could handle 😂

Out in the Kimberley, a tiny waterhole can become the busiest place in the bush. In the dry season, these precious little pockets of water are magnets for finches and other wildlife, bringing together species that you might otherwise spend hours searching for.

This time around, a huge flock of Star Finches arrived, mixing it up with Long-tailed Finches, Gouldians, and a Double-barred Finch who made a brief appearance.

Watching these tiny works of art come down to drink, fluttering in and out among the rocks and spinifex, was something I’ll never forget.

Moments like this are exactly why I love being out there. To witness these incredible birds in their wild environment, and somehow capture a little piece of their beauty to share.

The Kimberley never disappoints. ❤️🦜

22/08/2026

She wasn’t impressed.

From the shadows of the rainforest, a male Paradise Riflebird begins to call. As she approaches, he turns up the performance — feathers raised, wings fanned, iridescence flashing as he throws everything into the display.

Then she lands on his perch.

This is the moment he’s been waiting for.

A full-blown courtship performance from one of Australia’s most elusive birds, built around one simple question: is he impressive enough?

Apparently… not quite.

She leaves. He’s left with the stage, the silence, and absolutely no applause.

21/08/2026

What. A. Bird. 😍🕊️

Australia’s most spectacular bird? That’s a tough call… but the Rose-crowned Fruit Dove has to be in the conversation.

That electric green plumage, pink crown and splash of colour are pretty hard to ignore.

Usually tucked away high in the rainforest canopy, they can be surprisingly tricky to spot, making this close encounter extra special.

Nature really went all out on this one.

And this special encounter made it all the way to a magazine cover. 📖✨

18/08/2026

Did you hear his wings? 🪽

Shooting this Crested Pigeon at 120fps on the Sony A9 III in my backyard, gives us a whole new appreciation of nature. What looks like a single beat of the wings to our eyes becomes a sequence of incredible shapes, positions and colours, details we’d hardly ever get to see otherwise.

What Looks like a video is the stills captured playing in sequence. Hard to pick a fave 😅

18/08/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LjluHn9l6Y
I hope this will help you with your new camera :)

Lightroom & Next Generation Photoshop Masterclasses!https://www.ja...

16/08/2026

Nature’s most unique music act. 🖤🌴

This Palm Cockatoo isn’t simply whacking a stick against a tree. He deliberately selects and holds a stick, then uses it to create a rhythmic beat, producing a sound that forms part of an elaborate display alongside his calls, movements and spectacular wing spread.

Palm Cockatoos are famous for this rare form of tool use: they make their own musical instruments and rhythmically drum them against trees, a behaviour associated with courtship and display. Each bird can develop his own distinctive rhythm and technique.

So when you hear that beat, you’re not just hearing a bird hitting a tree. You’re hearing a carefully produced sound, one of nature’s most extraordinary examples of animal percussion. 🎶🦜

I didn’t want to clip of his wings and give you the full display, hence the wide format.