Red Hill Nature Reserve was under a blanket of cloud and smoke haze on this Saturday. There was a major bushfire out towards Braidwood that was sending smoke over Canberra. This smoke haze, combined with the cloud lowered the light levels and also meant any distance shots were hazy. Even so, it was still nice being out on Red Hill. A group of Australian Magpies were enjoying taking cicadas in flight. I was also lucky to see a Laughing Kookaburra emerge from a hollow. I also saw a kangaroo I thought had flowers on its head but realised it had been tagged. It was a lovely morning, even if I was rushing through my walk as later on Saturday we went to Centennial Vineyards in Bowral for a family lunch. I hope you like the pictures below.
A group of Australian Magpies (Cracticus tibicen) were grazing in the grass before something made them take to the trees. I thought it was another magpie coming into their territory, as I saw a magpie being chase by another one. Some of the birds, including a junior bird appeared to fly towards me but still high above me, but I do not think they were trying to swoop me. One of the adults had a cicada in its beak and I wondered if they were taking cicadas and other insects on the wing but I could not see the insects. The adult with the cicada gave it to a juvenile bird that held the insect firmly in its beak. The juvenile ran away from the adult, before appearing to smash the cicada on a fallen branch. The bird then ran further away where it appeared to consume the cicada.
An adult Australian Magpie
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The juvenile magpie taking the cicada to consume somewhere else
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
A group of predominantly juvenile Australian Wood Ducks (Chenonetta jubata) were eating the grass on one of the greens at the Federal Golf Club. There appeared to be possibly two adult birds with them and possibly nine juvenile birds.
Australian Wood Ducks grazing on the grass at the Federal Golf Club
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 278mm, f/14 and 1/320 SEC])
A Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) was in a tree at the Federal Golf Club. It was calling but then flew across a green by dropping low, almost like it was going to land on the ground, before abruptly gaining height as it approached the tree in the photograph. It appeared to strike at something on the trunk of the tree but I could not see anything in the photographs. It then landed on a branch.
Grey Butcherbird looking for food
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) flew into a hollow. It did not stay inside long, being visible moving around inside the hollow before its head emerged at the hollow’s entrance. It looked outside for a little while before it flew to a nearby branch where is sat quietly and very still.
Laughing Kookaburra preparing to depart from a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Three Crimson Rosellas (Platycercus elegans) were flying around a box gum, with the juvenile heading to what may have been a hollow. It did not enter the hollow but stayed outside. The hollow did not look too expansive so it was not clear if the bird could have entered it.
Juvenile Crimson Rosella at a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
At least two Grey Fantails (Rhipidura albiscapa) were in a small stand of shrubs and low trees behind the pine trees that line the side of Gowrie Drive beside the Federal Golf Course. The birds were flying between the shrubs, not staying still for long.
Grey Fantail in a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A Galah (Eolophus roseicapillus) was at a nascent hollow in a gum tree. It was not apparent how deep the hollow was, or indeed if it was actually a hollow.
Galah at a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
This first Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) caught my attention as originally I thought it looked like it had flowers on its head. I am not sure about the significance of the tagging but I will post it to Canberra Nature Map in case it means something to somebody. The kangaroo was down the eastern end of the course, and it was the first time I have noticed a tagged kangaroo at the Federal.
UPDATE: Don Fletcher on Canberra Nature Map provided this really interesting additional bit of information:
I looked up my old records. This is a kangaroo labelled 'Dillwyia' by Nick Webb, Dave Wong, Simon Godschalx and I at FGC in 2005. As well as ear tags she had an industrial PIT tag on the back of her ear tag and a normal implanted one (number 01CE-6797). She was a virgin sub-adult in Sept 2005, estimated dob 1 Jan 2004. She was one of the experimental control females for the first of several contraceptive vaccine formulations trialled in the ACT that did not work well (unlike the latest treatment trialled by Lyn Hinds and Claire Wimpenny). She disappeared from the FGC site for some years but has returned. She may have produced a pouch young every year since 2006 and if so is likely to be near the end of life now at the very ripe old age of 16 (well almost, her birthday is in three weeks), although she may be getting bonus years from the benign FGC environment.
The second kangaroo with a joey was in a different location. It was not a spot I would normally see a kangaroo in and I wondered if the animals were trying to some grass because golfers were starting to use the greens, forcing the kangaroos to move to other places to feed.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo with tagged ears and her joey
A head study of the kangaroo
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 214mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A different mother and joey feeding on some remaining green grass away from the greens
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 248mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
This unknown spider was walking along on top of the ground but moving erratically. I was not sure what type of creature it was since it was. not very large. By the time I had my camera ready the spider ducked under the leaf in the first shot. I thought the spider would emerge from the other side. Thinking I would find out, I carefully placed a small twig under the leaf to lift it up, assuming I would see a spider motionless underneath. I was amazed to see this well constructed burrow with a trap lid. While I was admiring the handiwork of the spider, It shot up the burrow, grabbed the lid, snapping it shut. I guess it wanted its privacy as well.
The burrow with the lid shut
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The unidentified spider closing the lid
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
There was a swarm of these European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) in a hollow of one of the near-dead trees at the Royal Golf Club.
European Honey Bees swarming in a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
This Common Brown butterfly (Heteronympha merope) was skipping along on parts of the leaf litter. There were Noisy Miners nearby, but they were after a cicada.
A Common Brown butterfly on the leaf litter
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Later on Saturday we went to Centennial Vineyards near Bowral for a family lunch. My family loves this location as it is set in rolling hills in a pleasant rural area. The birdlife always seems to be good in the area. Despite the strong winds, smoke haze and storm rolling in, I was able to get some photographs of birds.
Three Willie Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys), two juveniles and an adult, were active on the gate to the vineyard. It appeared that the adult was searching for food for the juveniles.
A group of Willie Wagtails on a gate with an adult on the right and two juveniles on the left
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Juvenile Willie Wagtail
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A group of Striated Thornbills (Acanthiza lineata) were doing a great effort flying between branches despite the strong winds created by the oncoming storm. I found it hard to photograph these small birds as the sky was dark and the birds were moving with the wind-blown branches.
Striated Thornbill on a branch braving the wind and impending rain
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])