Cotter Dam is one of Canberra’s water sources, part of the city’s watershed to the south, thus giving the Australian Capital Territory its elongated shape. The urban area is in the north of the territory while lovely bushland is in the south. I thought it would be worth a trip to the area around the dam to take some photographs. If the wildlife opportunities were slim I figured I would take a photograph of the dam itself. The weather was forecast to be sunny so I was looking forward to a fine morning to take some nice pictures. Unfortunately, a fog rolled in, covering the whole area. Even the dam surface was obscured. The wind disturbed the top of the fog allowing some views of distant mountains but the thick body of the fog remained. I was still able to see some birdlife but photography was a challenge. Unfortunately, I missed a shot of a lyrebird on the trail because the fog was thick, reducing the light. I was trying to set up a low light shot but I do not know if my movement disturbed the bird or the sound of two trail runners coming up behind me spooked it but the bird moved off the trail and I could not see where it went. Despite losing that shot, I was able to take photographs of two types of honeyeaters. Later on that day I took my camera out around home to take some more photographs. I hope you like the photos below.
The information board showing what I should have seen…
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 200, 35mm, f/16 and 1/250 SEC])
…what I actually saw
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 200, 33mm, f/16 and 1/60 SEC])
Looking back along the path I had followed to the lookout
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 200, 18mm, f/16 and 1/250 SEC])
Looking to a tree as the fog rolls in again, reminds me of a Heidelberg School style painting
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
There was a small group of White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) in the undergrowth just up from the carpark. They were moving through a pile of broken branches in an area with a lot of fog. These tiny birds were calling as they moved. I was able to use my flash to obtain one photograph before the light may have caused them to move away.
A blurry image of a White-browed Scrubwren
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
A White-eared Honeyeater (Lichenostomus leucotis) started calling on the lower part of the trail, eventually appearing in a tree. The fog was still reasonably thick so it was not easy obtaining a good photograph, as seen in the first picture below. The same bird, or possibly another one then appeared a little higher up near the lookout in a wattle tree, second picture. The bird moved around the wattle tree, not being concerned by my presence, even as I moved slightly closer to get some better pictures. The honeyeater was going through the leaves thoroughly, possibly looking for small insects but the objective of the searching was not clear to me. The bird was regularly calling in the wattle tree but I could not hear any birds reply. Reportedly, these birds are famous for plucking human hairs from living people so the birds can use the strands of hair to build their nests. As with all good stories, scientists are calling this into question now.
The White-eared Honeyeater through some fog
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
A White-eared Honeyeater closer to the look-out location
(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 Crescent Honeyeater (Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus) also made an appearance in the area behind the lookout. It was in a tree. possibly interested in what was on the leaves. All the time it was in the tree the bird was calling. A second bird responded with its own calls. The first bird flew off south-west in the apparent direction of the other bird.
Crescent Honeyeater
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1000 SEC])
Later that day I went wandering around the garden, initially to test out the difference between my Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM and Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM. After that testing I just started taking photographs of things in the garden. The main subject were pellets of indigestible food regurgitated by Pied Currawongs. Perhaps not the most enticing of subjects but I had wanted to photograph these for a while.
An interesting shaped container wedged in the tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 400, 40mm, f/6.3 and 1/20 SEC])
Pied Currawongs (Strepera graculina), like many birds are not able to digest all parts of their meals so they will regurgitate up those undigestible parts as a pellet. Researchers find these pellets very useful as it allows them to examine what birds have been eating without disturbing the bird. I have been meaning to photograph these for a while as a way to record different aspects of the life of birds. I found three pellets that I assume came from currawongs. In photographing them, I thought they almost had an artistic look to them. That is, until the viewer understands what they are. Still, I thought they looked kind of intriguing and I am glad I took the photographs.
A Pied Currawong pellet with an ant to show size
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 34mm, f/5.6 and 1/13 SEC])
A different Pied Currawong pellet
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 34mm, f/5.6 and 1/13 SEC])
A third Pied Currawong pellet
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 55mm, f/8.0 and 1/25 SEC])
This unidentified Looper caterpillar was clinging on to the side of one of the solar lamps in our yard. The insect was not very big. There is a strand of silk in the picture but the caterpillar was not about to spin a cocoon. The caterpillar was not there the next day. Unsure if it moved on or became a meal for a bird. These caterpillars are called loopers because they move by bringing their rear section up to their front section, causing their body to loop upwards in the classic caterpillar style.
A looper caterpillar on the side of a solar garden light
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 55mm, f/5.6 and 1/40 SEC])