It had been a while since I had visited Red Hill Nature Reserve, despite it being almost right on our doorstep. I had been distracted because normally on Sundays I headed to a number of other locations around Canberra but I felt I had ignored this local jewel for too long. The inspiration for my return was actually a bunch of weeds. I had been driving on a road that runs along the north side of Red Hill when I notices large patches of purple on the hill. I suspected that they were probably weeds but I thought that they may make a nice subject for a photograph. I am glad that a few days later I did go out photographing because I had a wonderful encounter with some Gang-gang Cockatoos that I followed up the next day. While I did not travel far that weekend I had fun, including watching some of the jumping spiders I found around our house. I ended up doing more photography than I planned but I am glad that I did. I hope that you like the photos below.
As I said above, the swathes of purple on Red Hill drew my attention one week day because it was not something that I had seen before. So on a Saturday morning, I took the car, because it was on the side of the nature reserve furtherest from my house. Once I parked the car I walked up towards Davidson Hill Trig Station, which is the other peak in the reserve. I could see the purple in front of me so I knew that I would not have to go too far. After a brief walk up a slope I noticed that the open spaces were almost completely covered with Viper’s Bugloss, also called Blue Weed. A noxious weed that was probably introduced into Australia in the 1820s. It is a problem in pastures because it can outgrow productive plants and cause problems for livestock. So while it looked very beautiful it was a problem.
Viper’s Bugloss - beautiful but noxious
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 160, 100mm, f/14 and 1/80 SEC])
The nature reserve had large swathes of this weed
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 125, 100mm, f/14 and 1/100 SEC])
While I was photographing the bugloss a pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos (Callocephalon fimbriatum) flew into a tree on the northern side of the hill where I was. The male, at least, was calling while he was in the tree. I could also hear other Gang-gangs around on the same side of the hill but I could not see them. The pair stayed in that tree for a while before flying to another tree about 100 metres to the south-west. They spent more time in this second tree than they had in the first tree. The female found the crook of a branch that she started chewing at that seemed to allow her to put half her body in but the branch did not seem large enough to be able to support a decent hollow. The female extracted a bit of wood that she kept chewing on while she perched on a different branch, shown in the photograph below. I left the birds in the tree.
Gang-gang Cockatoo female in a tree chewing on bark
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Gang-gang male
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Walking down through the low vegetation there were no more birds but I was enjoying looking at the insects, including a bandwing grasshopper that was using its camouflage to stop me ‘eating’ it. The insect being still was a big hand while I was trying to photograph it. Although at some stage it must have felt safe enough because it started walking forward.
Bandwing grasshopper
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
There were so many Tiger Moths Utetheisa sp. (genus) taking advantage of the pollen on offer from the bugloss, flying between the flowers like bits of white confetti on the wind getting a feed.
Tiger Moth on a Viper’s Bugloss
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
I enjoyed my quick Saturday morning visit, so the next day, after I slept in a little, I thought a nearby location was the best option, and I headed back to Red Hill Nature Reserve. I walked up, through the houses of Hughes to one of the convenient entries to the reserve. When I looked across to the west I could see a low fog lying in the Molonglo River Valley. The morning was so clear and I was surprised to see this fog because I did not think the morning had been too cold. Still, it gave me a nice photographic subject.
Looking west from Red Hill across a foggy Molonglo Valley to the Brindabella Range
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/14 and 1/160 SEC])
Following one of the access or fire trails over a knoll with low grass I saw a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) walking around a little patch of probably weeds, seemingly enjoying the green leaves or flower buds. It felt a bit conscious of my presence, but not enough to fly off, it simply walked around to the other side of the plants. I guess the plants must have been so tasty it was not worth flying off.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo eating low plants
(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 during my walk I noticed an immature Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) perched in a dead tree enjoying the sunlight.
Crimson Rosella immature bird on a branch
(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])
One of my most memorable experiences that morning was walking into the middle of a large mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). I was conscious of the size of the group and that this was their area, while I was only passing through pursuing my hobby. These animals are often spooked by dogs let off their leashes so seeing them in a relaxed state I did not want to cause them to flee.
I saw what I think was a young male approach another kangaroo. Initially I thought lhey were both males as the smaller one looked like it tried to grapple the larger one, as if a play-fight was about to begin. The larger kangaroo did not respond. Instead they both looked at each other then started sniffing one another. The colourful surrounding flowers made me think it was more romantic than it was. Still, the larger kangaroo followed the smaller one when it moved away, with the larger one grabbing at its tale as an older kangaroo would do to a perspective mate. I definitely noticed the larger one had a male appendage at that stage, but I thought they were far too young to be breeding and that male was certainly not the dominant male. You can see the two of them in the photograph below.
Eastern Grey Kangaroos sniffing each other in the spring flowers
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 255mm, f/14 and 1/200 SEC])
I was also intrigued by a female, in the photograph below. For a while I watched her as she bent over motionless, among some flowers. I am not sure what she was doing because even when she noticed me she barely responded. At one stage she leant on her front paws but that was the only movement I saw with her move. I shifted around to get a better shot of her, the photograph below, when I noticed that there was a joey in her pouch, but even after she looked at me she went back to staring ahead with no other movement. I left her to her own world as I did not want to disturb her.
Female with a joey
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])
The final kangaroo I spent time watching was an almost mature male. There were a number of these around. They were not the dominant males but I would think they would be looking to mate soon. This male looked at me for a while, then stood further up before he decided to hop away. He hopped away over the low flowers standing upright, clearing the plants with little apparent energy.
Male kangaroo but not the dominant male
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Hopping away
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
After the kangaroos I thought that I had better start heading home so I headed for a trail that I knew would take me through some closed woodland in the direction of the way I had entered the reserve. Along the way I saw an Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius) looking inside a hollow. The bird moved away from the hollow when some chattering Crimson Rosellas arrived. The first bird and another Eastern Rosella combined to challenge the larger Crimson Rosellas. One of the Eastern Rosellas would fly to a branch where a Crimson was, landing beside it, this was all that was needed to make the Crimson fly to a different branch where the behaviour was repeated. It sometimes seemed to be a rolling tussle of flying rosellas through the branches.
Eastern 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])
A bit further on there were two beautifully pink Galahs (Eolophus roseicapillus) sitting quietly in a tree. They may have been looking at a hollow but it was not clear. I noticed that the male appeared to only have a single eye.
Female Galah
(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])
Male Galah with a missing right eye
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Towards the end of my walk I came across two immature male Gang-gang Cockatoos. They started in one tree but then they went to a tree that is usually used by Sulphur-crested Cockatoos for breeding. One of the Gang-gangs, stuck his head into the hollow the Sulphurs use and that brought an immediate response from the Sulphur that was in the hollow. The Gang-gang wisely withdrew to a branch further away. There were then a Gang-gang on a branch either side of the hollow. The Sulphur went back into the hollow after a few minutes leaving the Gang-gangs to join each other on a single branch. I left them there as I continued my walk home.
Two immature Gang-gang cockatoo males checking out a hollow already occupied
(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])
This is the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo that was not impressed when the Gang-gang looked in to see if the hollow was being used.
An unhappy Sulphur-crested Cockatoo letting the Gang-gangs know the hollow is in use
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
There were a number of these Alpine Day Moths (Agaristodes feisthamelii) flying around. I was fortunate when one landed on a small bush near where I was. I loved their simplistic black and white tones offset by the bright orange underside, so colourful.
Day Flying Noctuid Moth
(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])
Walking back through suburban Hughes I noticed this lovely Drooping Bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis) with its shiny red flower in the garden of one of the houses. These plants are not native to Canberra but this one was thriving. The tree can grow to 8 metres in height, with some growing to 18 metres. The plant is also very adaptable making a good plant in gardens that attracts birds and pollen feeding insects.
Drooping Bottlebrush
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Just down from the bottlebrush I saw a lone immature male Gang-gang Cockatoo fly into a tree in a houses garden. In the past this was a tree that supported a number of birds, including with hollows, but it seemed to have been thoroughly pruned back. I am not sure if the house owners were preparing it for removal or if they are tying to encourage new growth but I did note that one of the branches removed had contained a nesting hollow used by Rainbow Lorikeets in the past. It was unfortunate to see more hollows disappear because they take so long to develop.
Gang-gang immature male
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Later that morning I was trying to do the right thing by doing some gardening around the house. Of course I did have my camera with me just in case I saw something of interest. At this time of year it is easy to find interesting things. The first was this female European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) that was on a leaf. She had been in the shade but I was trimming the bush so I was able to move the leaf into the sun to get some better lighting. The straight pincers, pointing upwards in defence, indicate this is a female. Male pincers are more curved. I made sure to put her back on to a shaded part of the bush once I had finished photographing her.
European Earwig female on a leaf
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/160 SEC])
Taking some of the weeds and cuttings to the garden waste recycle bin I noticed a small Jumping Spider (Opisthoncus grassator) on the lid, a female because this species is sexually dimorphic so the male has different colours. You can see the size of the spider compared to the knuckle and hair on the back of my hand. This spider was tiny, but they are so cute with the furry appearance and big eyes. I noticed the spider was doing a clockwise circle, spinning within her length. She seemed to stop at regular spots, possibly every 90 degrees. When she stopped she lifted her head all the way up then down and spun again. I did not try to put the spider on my hand but I had one of those moments that macro photographers know so well. I lost the spider in the frame and then I could not find her as I swept my search through the viewfinder over the lid. I finally looked around the edge of the camera to ensure the spider was still on the bin lid. In a brief moment of extreme disappointment I saw the spider was gone. That feeling was almost immediately replaced by laughter when I noticed the spider had leapt about 10-15 cm on to the top of my lens. As I moved my hand to the lens to encourage the spider to return to the bin lid, she repeated her lightning fast leap but on to my hand. I decided that this was a bonus because I could lift the spider in to the sunlight to get some better lighting. I became so distracted watching this little spider. Finally, when I felt I had better return to gardening I moved my hand to near the bin and it launched itself from my hand to the bin lid. I suspect some pet dogs would be less better trained than that.
When she landed I noticed another female spider of the same species was on the edge of the lid, that is the second spider below on the green plastic lid. That spider moved from the edge to the top where the first spider noticed it. The first spider moved quickly to where the second spider was, however the other spider had also seen the first spider approaching so moved around the edge of the bin to get away. The second spider seemed slightly smaller than the first one although I did not measure either so it is just an impression that I had at the time.
Jumping Spider on my knuckles
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Same species different spider
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Returning to the garden, and again pulling out some weeds, I disturbed this tiny seed bug that I could not identify. It stayed still for a little while before moving off to where some plants were.
Seed Bug on the ground
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Later that day I went out for a walk around the yard to see what subjects I could find to photograph. Almost immediately I came across this small Threatening Jumping Spider (Helpis minitabunda), who was eating an even smaller insect, on our side gate. Their Latin name, minitabunda means threatening, although I am not sure how they came by that description, as they are are most around 1 cm long.
Jumping spider
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1600, 100mm, f/7.1 and 1/125 SEC])
Ince I was already out with my camera I also took a picture of this native Common or Oval-leafed Mint-bush (Prostanthera ovalifolia) that I planted in the garden. It survived the dry summer then winter and is now starting to show itself. The member of this genus are called mint-bushes because of the aroma their leaves have. This plant is not native to the ACT but further north in NSW and southern Queensland but is starting to grow well with the spring weather and recent rains.
Common Mint-bush
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/9.0 and 1/100 SEC])
Later on that day I came across another female Jumping spider (Opisthoncus grassator) hiding on dogwood leaf. I am sure she was hiding as she was stalking her prey. There were a couple of flies on the same plant a few leafs over. You can see in the two pictures below that she is flat in one while in the second she is standing higher but still looking in the same direction. I am not sure if I scared off the flies or if it was time to go but they left soon after I shot these photographs. The spider then looked to me, in one I assume was a spidery look of disappointment, which did make me leave her to her hunting.
Jumping spider, almost looking like it is hiding
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 320, 100mm, f/9.0 and 1/100 SEC])
Then looking up to check on its prey
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 320, 100mm, f/9.0 and 1/100 SEC])
The next weekend I was out cleaning my mountain bike when the hose water must have soaked a wolf spider, that was carrying an egg sac, out of where she was hiding. She looked very wet but was still clutching her egg sack in her spinnerets. She crawled off from one of our garden beds to a bit of concrete beneath a brick. She stayed there the rest of the time that I was outside, possibly drying out. There would have been several dozen eggs in that sac, which once the spiders hatch will be carried on the female’s abdomen for several days while she continues to protect them. Another interesting fact is that female wolf spiders live longer than males, possibly a few years.
A wet Wolf spider with an egg sac
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 640, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])
My final subject for a photograph was a very small Social House Spider (Philoponella congregabilis) that I found spinning a web on the bottom of our washing that was hanging on our clothes line. The dark blue background was not a studio effect but a towel hanging towards the back of the line. This little spider, probably a female, was just starting to string some threads together. I did feel bad breaking her line to move her to a nearby tree but I thought that was better than letting her spend all that time to make a web that we would destroy when we brought the washing in.
Social House Spider starting a web
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 640, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/200 SEC])
It was good to get back to Red Hill, especially seeing so many Gang-gangs, a good sign that they may be increasing in numbers. It was also nice seeing the wildlife around my yard. I love when I know there are so many creatures in the garden, I feel that I have helped nature create a nice little ecosystem. I am always hopeful that the garden will keep supporting more and more creatures so that I will have more interesting subjects to keep photographing.
Thanks for reading about my trip and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the Australian Capital Territory has on offer. All the best until the next post.