2005 started with digiscoping trips to the dry country of north-west Victoria and then Tasmania in the Autumn (which was to become a habit). April brought a minor camera upgrade (from a Nikon Coolpix 4500 to a Canon A95) and more time in outback Victoria. October brought the big change: my first digital SLR, a Canon 20D. That was a massive upgrade and I wandered around much of Victoria with a side trip to south-east South Australia getting the hang of it.

Digiscoping is all about fiinding a bird that sits still for long enough - it takes a very long time to take a shot. With the SLR and a 400mm lens, you need to get much closer but the reaction time drops from ten or fifteen seconds to more like two or three seconds.