The King Island scrubtit is one of Australia’s rarest and smallest birds. So when award-winning wildlife photographer Brad Leue visited King Island's Boulder Wildlife Sanctuary, with the audacious ambition of photographing one, the odds were stacked against him.
Experts estimate that only 100 King Island scrubtits are left, a subspecies of the much more prevalent Tasmanian scrubtit. But at only 12cm in length and with markings that blend into their habitat, spotting one is extremely rare – and photographing one is even rarer.
Brad was well prepared. He analysed sightings of the birds to pinpoint potential hotspots and armed himself with his trusty Canon EOS R5 and 100-500mm super-telephoto lens. But with only a week in which to photograph the island’s wildlife, the clock was ticking.
A few days in and the scrubtit was nowhere to be seen, but on the fifth day, Brad’s luck changed. While operating by the coast and exploring the edge of a forest, a little brown job appeared. He told me: “In this type of environment, the targets are mainly small birds, so I had my camera set up for fast movement.” The scrubtit didn’t hang around: “I was only able to grab a few shots that were in focus before the individual ducked back into the forest.”
Thankfully, the encounter enabled Brad to capture two sharp images, which he sent to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy for confirmation. “I was confident I’d photographed the right species, but given how rare they are, I also had a bit of doubt.” Thankfully, it was a King Island scrubtit, making Brad a member of an exclusive club of photographers who have managed to photograph the rare bird.
When asked about the importance of photography for conservation, Brad told me: “We’re a very visual species. Through conservation photography, people can connect with some of the world’s most vulnerable species, allowing them to care and empathise on a much deeper level.”
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