Red Hill Nature Reserve was again where I found myself on Saturday morning. My initial focus was to play around with an old Canon 40mm f2.8 STM pancake lens I had from 2008, not the later model. I had recently started using the lens but I was not sure how it suited my style of photography. Sorry, there are a few experimental photos with that lens below so feel free to skip those to the see the birds below. I had a good play around with it before I went back to the telephoto lens to see what wildlife was around. It was another fantastic morning to be out on Red Hill. I again came across two species of pardalotes before encountering different Sulphur-crested Cockatoos checking out two separate tree hollows. Later that day I found myself at Lake Burley Griffin. It was a social occasion rather than a photographic one but I still had my camera with me, once again seeing what I could do with a 40mm lens. I have included some of those photos at the bottom, including of a pair of Magpie-larks. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
Frost on a plant - 40mm experimenting
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 800, 40mm, f/8.0 and 1/40 SEC])
A tree in winter with its dead leaves - 40mm experimenting
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 640, 40mm, f/5.6 and 1/60 SEC])
A dead tree - 40mm experimenting
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 640, 40mm, f/7.1 and 1/40 SEC])
A knocked over tree stump - 40mm experimenting
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 640, 40mm, f/7.1 and 1/100 SEC])
Looking across from Red Hill to a beam of sunlight breaking through the fog on Mount Taylor
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])
A male Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) made an appearance on some of the leafless shrubs. I have seen fairy-wrens in this area previously so I assume he was part of that group, although I was unable to get shots of any of the other fairy-wrens with him that day.
A male Superb Fairy-wren in its non-breeding plumage
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
At least one Weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris) was part of a group of small birds moving through trees in search of food. Sorry, the photograph is a little blurry but this was the only shot I could get of the bird.
A blurry photo of a Weebill
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/100 SEC])
Striated Pardalotes (Pardalotus striatus) were feeding in the same group as the Weebill above.
Striated Pardalote
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
Spotted Pardalotes (Pardalotus punctatus) were also part of the group, with the two species of pardalotes feeding in the same tree simultaneously without any conflict.
Spotted Pardalote
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) are one of the many hollow nesters that use Red Hill Nature Reserve. It is not yet breeding season but it appears that some birds are looking at hollows. As I was walking down one of the fire trails I saw a white head appear in a hollow previously used by Sulphur-crested Cockatoos in previous breeding seasons. The cockatoo came all the way out and started chewing at the wood around the hollow. It even used its claws and beak to lower itself down below the hollow to chew at the bottom of the hollow before climbing back into the opening. A second cockatoo arrived behind the hollow while the first bird was inspecting it. The initial bird climbed onto the top of the tree branch to chase away the newcomer. The interloper did not go too far, just to a different nearby branch but it eventually departed the area. The original bird returned to the hollow and to chewing at the wood, which is what it was doing when I departed.
I came across a different Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in a different hollow just outside the reserve, seen in photographs three and four immediately below. The bird was on the edge of the hollow but also occasionally biting at the wood. The hollow appeared to have a reasonably wide opening but was also exposed vertically, perhaps making it too easy for rain to enter. The bird climbed around in the hollow but did not enter it fully so I was unable to see if the hollow could accommodate a breeding bird. The bird appeared nervous with my presence, it sometimes seemed like it was ready to fly away, so I did not stay long. The hollow was not high up in the tree and it was near a location where people regularly walk, so I am not sure if it will be suitable as a breeding hollow.
A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo emerging from a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
The cockatoo on the right chased away the other bird
(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 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at a different 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])
A close-up of the cockatoo at the second 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])
Later in the day I was with my family at Lake Burley Griffin. The weather was beautiful, with a clear blue sky so I thought it was a good opportunity to try the 40mm f2.8 STM lens again. I recognise it is not a good landscape lens but I do like its crispness, however, the first photograph shows how quickly the focus drops off. Still, it was a fun lens that I will keep in my camera backpack as I think there will be further opportunities to use it.
A view along the southern side of Lake Burley Griffin
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 200, 40mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
The sphere outside the National Gallery of Australia
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 200, 40mm, f/10 and 1/400 SEC])
Trying to get arty with black and white, looking across Lake Burley Griffin to the Australian War Memorial
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 200, 40mm, f/10 and 1/400 SEC])
There were a pair of Magpie-larks (Grallina cyanoleuca) near Reconciliation Place on the souther side of the lake. They were grazing across the grass immediately behind the boulevard on the southern side of the lake. They appeared to be accustomed to people as they did not flinch as people walked along the footpath. The female took advantage of a small puddle to have a drink. Despite me stopping to photograph them at a relatively close range, because I only had a 40mm lens, they did not seem worried.
A female Magpie-lark drinking from a puddle near Lake Burley Griffin
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 200, 40mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])