According to Aboriginal folklore, the dusky moorhen's red and yellow beak and legs are the scars from a feud with the emu.
The story says that the two birds' nests were very close to one another, and when the moorhen left her eggs for a few minutes to get something to eat, the emu shifted her nest so that she covered both her eggs and the moorhen's.
The moorhen wanted to shift the egg thief, but she was too small to attack the emu directly, so she built a big fire and threw the ashes on her, burning the emu's feathers brown.The emu then sprang up in anger and hurled the moorhen into the flames, scorching her legs and beak so that to this day they are the angry red and yellow of fresh burns.
I had a few false starts with this when I chose a colour scheme that did not work, and I was struggling using the brushes in the new editing program, but by the time I had finished I was getting the hang of it. I am yet to sort out the exif data in PS, but the list of things I am yet to learn about PS is long!
Thanks for stopping by, your kind words hope are much appreciated. I hope you are enjoying the holiday season.
@deborah63 thanks Debbie - although these edits are broadly the same technique, I have been trying something new in each one. I like to explore the technical options and then it becomes all about the light - "photo-graph" means 'light drawing' ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography ) and that is what I am aiming to do with this editing style - it is all about the light as it moves and flows around the image elements and (hopefully) takes the viewer on a journey around and 'into' the image. Ohh that sounds very philosophical for early on a Monday morning!
@catwhiskers thanks Nan - I am slowly getting my head around working with colour. I am loving being on holidays & catching up on indulgent editing & commenting. @jgpittenger tag me Jane, I would love to see!
Lyn - I have just discovered your photos (through the comment you provided on my comment!) and I am captivated by your technique. I see many wildflife shots and while many are fantastic - I love the way you are presenting the shots so differently. It is so remaniscent of old oil paintings and I simply think it is a fantastic way of presenting the image. I will take time to study your images and begin to try to emulate - I am assuming this is Photoshop - must now try to work out the edit
@jgpittenger tag me Jane, I would love to see!