Tom O’Dea - Visual Storytelling

01/06/2026

This night last year!

Aurora Australis from Yass.

The skies went KABOOM!

31/05/2026

31/05/2026

A tiny survivor on a very big continent.

This little Southern Whiteface is one of Australia’s lesser-known grassland birds. Small, inquisitive and often found perched on fences, shrubs and low vegetation, they spend much of their time foraging close to the ground for insects and seeds.

Unfortunately, that behaviour also makes them particularly vulnerable to one of Australia’s most effective introduced predators: cats.

Unlike larger birds that can quickly take to the air or aggressively defend themselves, Southern Whitefaces often feed and move through low grass and open country where stalking cats have a significant advantage.

Their nests are also typically built low in shrubs, making eggs and chicks especially susceptible to predation.

The numbers are sobering.

Across Australia, roaming domestic and feral cats kill millions of native birds every year.

The Southern Whiteface is a species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

For small species like the Southern Whiteface, even occasional cat predation can have a significant impact on local populations.

If we genuinely love animals, that love shouldn’t stop with our pets.

Keeping cats contained—whether indoors, in secure outdoor enclosures, or within cat-proof yards—protects wildlife, protects cats from injury and disease, and helps preserve the incredible biodiversity that makes Australia unique.

Being a responsible cat owner isn’t anti-cat. It’s pro-wildlife and pro-cat.

Every Southern Whiteface, fairy-wren, robin and honeyeater deserves a chance to live without an introduced predator lurking nearby.

📷 Southern Whiteface photographed near Yass, NSW.

27/05/2026

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎

Mitchell Boswell, μανωλης Μπατης, Catherine Miniken, Lorraine Bird, Rodney Wells, Jorge Luis Chales, Leanne Rea, Pam McNiece, Тетяна Жовнірук, Kath Heinrich, Mark Lloyd, Mark Somers, Allan Bush, John McGrath, Paulette Weis, Brian Pilkington, Lynda Michell

26/05/2026

One of my favourite EVER photos of Yass just now!

Lovely rain with a beautiful double rainbow 🌈

Yass NSW. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

23/05/2026

A nice suprise on email this week after a busy but productive week.

Proud to have been nominated for the second year running for a NSW volunteer of the year award for the work I volunteer to do maintaining the Yass Gorge walking trails.

So many things in this country stop without volunteers!

Nominate someone in your local community today!

We have so many people who deserve our gratitude for their service and selfless dedication to our communities. Link below 👇

https://www.volunteering.com.au/awards/about-the-awards/?fbclid=IwVERFWAR-Y-BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeWZ-c5_nnbH--yTndHexPS-m-D5oUEVJeNS6K3t6JZzCURu1dj-P3M35gO8s_aem_j4FhbxvdiA2nxreTmo_FNw

If you know someone who deserves to be celebrated for their community service, make sure you nominate them before Friday 29 May, 2026 and spread the word that nominations are now open.

22/05/2026

Ah Milky Way season!

Cold but clear and oh so beautiful!

20/05/2026

A huge welcome to everyone who has recently joined my Tom O’Dea - Visual Storytelling photography community.

What started as simply sharing moments, stories, landscapes, people, wildlife and the beauty I find around Australia and beyond has grown into something far bigger than I ever imagined.

This week we passed more than 26,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram, and I just wanted to say thank you.

Every like, comment, share, conversation and connection means more than you probably realise.

Photography for me has never just been about taking pictures.

It’s about slowing down long enough to notice the world properly — the light, the emotion, the story, the fleeting moments that often pass unnoticed.

If my work has helped even a few people see the world a little differently, then it has all been worth it.

To all the longtime supporters who have been here for years, thank you for continuing to walk this journey with me.

And to all the newcomers — welcome. I’m glad you’re here.

There’s plenty more to come. More adventures, more stories, more wildlife, more Australia, more creativity, and hopefully a few images that make you stop scrolling for a moment and simply feel something.