Mount Mugga Mugga has been hollowed out by a quarry that is now disused. This silent scar probably provided many of the rocks used to build Canberra, now it sits as an empty reminder of how the countryside has been changed by the creation of Canberra. The surrounding forested area is now the Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve. There was not much birdlife in easy view, with most of my photos showing the life around a pond built to help control rain run-off. I was surprised this pond did not have much birdlife in or around it, as it seemed to have a better ecosystem than the pond I photographed on 23 and 24 February; which had an amazing amount of birdlife in an area smaller than Mount Mugga Mugga’s pond. Maybe the closer proximity of houses and the road have kept birds away form this body of water. While I was disappointed by the lack of birds higher up I had a marvellous time beside the pond photographing a variety of life. I have not been put-off, indeed I have already started thinking about when I will go back next time. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
The open-cut quarry at Mount Mugga Mugga
(Apple iPhone SE [ISO 50, 4.15mm, f/22 and 1/1000 SEC], shot in colour, turned to monochrome in post-processing)
Looking south-east from Mount Mugga Mugga past the entrance to the open-cut quarry
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Looking north from Mount Mugga Mugga towards Red Hill, with a hot-air balloon and Black Mountain in the background
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/18 and 1/200 SEC])
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) are everywhere in Canberra so I was not surprised when I heard their calls in the reserve. Three of these large, iconic birds landed in a dead tree not far from me. They were calling away letting everybody know they were there. Two then flew off, with the third staying put in the tree. It climbed a bit higher and started calling. The cockatoo bobbed a few times, normally an indication of imminent flight, so I upped the shutter speed. Sure enough, it took off. I am sure not why it crooked its head to one side in the photograph at the top of this post but it was certainly a different view of a cockatoo taking off.
A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/2500 SEC])
Descending Mount Mugga Mugga I came across a group of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in an open field. I did not want to disturb them but my intended path was taking me straight through them. The kangaroo in the photograph below was looking straight at me, every now and then there was a catch light in her eyes from the sun behind me. I was also ready for when she decided to hop away, not surprisingly, the direction was away from me but at least I had a chance to practice taking some moving shots.
An Eastern Grey Kangaroo looking across to my approach
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/1250 SEC])
The kangaroo deciding it was time to leave
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/2000 SEC])
The pond at the bottom of the hill had a large number of Mountain Galaxias (Galaxias olidus), generally schooling in the shallow water near the banks. When I crouched down and stayed still they would quickly return to the shallow water close to me. However, the moment I moved, they fled again, with some even skimming out of the water over the surface. They are carnivorous fish feeding on aquatic invertebrates as well as insects that fall into the water. There seems to be ongoing research to understand if this fish species actually is made up of a number of species. That would not be surprising given these fish are not noted to migrate so groups of fish could easily become isolated, especially as the climate becomes dryer meaning rivers and streams may no longer connect as they once did.
Mountain Galaxias swimming in the pond at Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/800 SEC])
Trap-door spider is a name that covers many species. As I was descending Mount Mugga Mugga I noticed this open trap-door, which probably means the spider is dead. The photograph shows just how thick the trap door is and how well it would fit the hole. The inward sloping slides of the plug show how well they are made, so they fit in the hole without falling down the entrance.
The abandoned burrow of a Trap-door Spider
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/13 and 1/250 SEC])
Approaching the pond I could see a number of spider’s webs, with spiders in them. These turned out to be a number of Long-jawed Spiders, with possibly four different types in the small area I was in. These spiders are common along water ways during daylight hours according to A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia. The first photograph below shows the large chelicerae (or jaws) that give this spider family its name. All these spiders were being very successful in catching mayflies. The second photograph shows two of these spiders who seemed to share a net anchoring location. They appeared to clash with the right-hand spider advancing first to the join, before the left-hand one also came to investigate. The right-hand spider seemed to be the loser, swinging away on some silk before returning to a more central location in its web. I do not think they were male and female mating. The final photograph shows yet another variation of this spider.
Looking front on at one of the Long-jawed Spiders
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 200mm, f/10 and 1/500 SEC])
Two Long-jawed Spiders squaring-off where their nets join
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1250 SEC])
Another type of Long-jawed Spider
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1250 SEC])
When I saw this Common Bluetail Damselfly (Ischnura heterosticta) at rest I could not believe my luck as I have been trying to photograph these beautifully coloured insects for a while. This was probably a male given its blue colour, thick stripe on its thorax and blue dots on top of the eyes. This damselfly was very placid, staying still while I took a few photographs. When it finally took off it almost got caught in the spider web but was strong enough to break free before the spider could react. it was flying around the reeds for a while landing on some other stalks but not staying long, and not being still enough for another photograph. These are common, being found throughout Australia.
A Common Bluetail Damselfly on a reed that is also an anchor for a spider’s web
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 286mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
I believe this was a Crane Fly but I am not completely certain. Interestingly, the insect had its wings out in this photograph but later the wings were folded narrowly along its body. Its legs seemed impossibly thin, more like cotton thread than the legs of an an insect.
A Crane Fly resting on some reeds
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/500 SEC])
There were so many Mayflies around this pond. In flight they almost looked like dandelion seeds blowing in the wind. The spiders mentioned above had several Mayflies in their webs, as can be seen below.
Adult Mayflies caught in a spider’s web
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1250 SEC])
This is another Laetiporus portentosus I noticed on a tree. This one was on the north-west side of the tree and appeared to have been chewed a few times.
Laetiporus portentosus on the north-west side of a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 100mm, f/6.3 and 1/125 SEC])