John Davey captures 100 different species of bird that call Lake Illawarra home

Each week, the Mount Warrigal resident puts on his bird-watching clothes, a hat and grabs his camera and heads to Lake Illawarra with one goal in mind - to document 100 different species that live on or within 50 metres of the waterway.

And, this week he achieved his goal amid much acclaim on social media.

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For the past two years he's been posting his bird photos on the What's on Windang page, and each post is met with praise.

Mr Davey, who's also a Shellharbour councillor, has lived opposite the lake for 42 years, he's a keen sailboarder and his interest in the waterway and its wildlife peaked when he became a community representative on the Lake Illawarra Estuarine Management Committee.

"I never thought I'd become a bird watcher, no disrespect, but here I am a bird watcher," he said.

"I just love the fact that we have this rich life of these birds on our magnificent lake."

The hardest birds to photograph are swallows, they're small and fast, Mr Davey said and he's yet to take, what he thinks, is a good photo of one.

"I see them probably every second or third time I go out and I'm out at least once a week," he said.

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"The fairywrens are quite difficult because they're very small as well and very flaky and very fast."

His 100th species of bird was a tawny frogmouth.

"That was the first time I'd seen one of those on my walk, they're not an easy bird to find or spot," Mr Davey said.

Picking his favourite photo would be liking picking a favourite child, he said.

What comes next is easy, Mr Davey said. There's around 350 bird species in the Illawarra and he's keen to keep snapping so watch this space, there's more bird photos to come.

For the keen photographers, he uses a Sony A6600, it's a mirrorless camera, with a telephoto lens. He doesn't use a tripod.

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His photos may have captured the community's awareness and praise, but in the end he's keen to raise awareness about challenges with the lake.

Creating a permanent opening for the lake in 2007 has impacted tidal exchange, which has created scouring that's undermining Windang Bridge, and moving the channel further north.

Mr Davey said a sand delta is now forming at Bevans Island, and a "massive" growth of mangroves which aren't part of the lake's natural environment.

Competing economic, ecological and social values of the lake also provide a challenge for state agencies and council.

After two years of traipsing the wetlands around Lake Illawarra, Mr Davey's keen to share a few tips and tricks to help you take a good snap.

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