Australia has some native conifers but they are in small numbers so there are no massive pine forests such as exist in Europe and North America. The pine forests in Australia are generally commercial pine forests that tend to contain Radiata Pine (Pinus radiata), which is considered a pest outside of these commercial forests because it is such a successful and quick growing tree. These commercial forests are generally open to the public, with a number located close to Canberra, which were generally planted to improve Canberra’s water quality because previous agricultural clearance activities caused too much erosion that carried soil and other substances into the Canberra water supply. One forest sits behind the National Zoo and Aquarium at the south-western end of Lake Burley Griffin, where the Molonglo River continues below the Scrivener Dam.
I had seen a number of photograhs from inside pine forests that inspired me to take some shots as well. The challenge with pine forests is the light, because the conifers are good at blocking out light so when sunlight gets through there tends to be a lot of contrast between the dark and light areas. Pine forests are not my favourite locations to photograph in because most native animals have not evolved to live in them, so they are generally devoid of a rich diversity of life.
With that said, I did find some interesting subjects to photograph on my way to the forest, especially around the Molonglo River where an Australian Pelican was swimming on the river. There were also a number of birds in the trees at the Yarralumla Equestrian Centre where I parked my car so I could walk to the forest.
I hope you like the photos below.
Driving into the equestrian centre I was greeted by a mass of cars and horse floats because there appeared to be an event on that day. I drove very slowly because I did not want to upset any horses, because it was a place for horse riders, and I was just there to park my car. Fortunately, the end near the Yarralumla Woolshed was empty, so I was able to get a park right beside the cross-country course, which appears to be closed. There was a path along the side of the course that joined a bridle path to the Molonglo River and across into the pine forest.
I started my walk to the east along the red dirt path under a blue sky that was starting to warm up the slightly coolish morning. Almost immediately I saw a Galah (Eolophus roseicapillus) in a low bush. The Galah was on the top of the bush, apparently eating its leaves. I have often seen Galahs in this bush, with the absence of leaves on the top of the bush perhaps attesting to how much the Galahs like the taste.
Galah enjoying a leaf from a bush
(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])
The path that I was on joined the public bridle path where a large, healthy acacia tree was growing. In this tree there were at least two Yellow-rumped Thornbills (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) searching for food. They moved quickly through the branches apparently getting some food as they went. You would be forgiven for not knowing this from sight but these are Australia’s largest thornbill, but they are the largest of a group of very small statured birds so it is not really a fact to impress your friends with.
Yellow-rumped Thornbill intently looking for food
(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])
It was searching through out a lone acacia tree
(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])
The bridle path was rocky, with erosion forming some large ruts on a downward slope. Closer to the Molonglo River the soil on the path was wet and sloshy, because the ground was soaked by the waters of the Molonglo River that were higher than usual. There was even some inundation to the right of the path forming a large frog-filled pond in the grass.
A Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) was on the Molonglo River, swimming upstream against the flow. It seemed to be unaware of my presence, even though I was standing , until I started clicking to take photographs. On realising that I was there it briefly flew across to the other side of the river away from me before landing in the water to keep swimming. Later that morning, when I was crossing back over the river, I noticed that there were now two ducks. I suspected that the second one had always been there, but possibly hiding in the reeds that lined the bank.
Pacific Black Duck swimming upstream oh the Molonglo River
(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 was distracted from immediately walking over the weir because I saw that majestic bird, the Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) in the Molonglo River, The brilliant while plumage was reflecting the light from the rising sun making the bird really stand out. It was downstream from me but while I was photographing it the bird left the rock in the middle of the river to start swimming towards me. It did not swim rapidly towards me, it was in a more measured way. As it got closer to where I was it curved slightly out from my bank, but then turned slowly across from where I was before slowly swimming past me. I suspected that this bird may be used to people throwing it food, although not on this quiet stretch of the Molonglo River but may be on Lake Burley Griffin itself. Pelicans are seasonally mobile and are generally not common in Canberra in the winter. The recent heavy rains and impending La Nina weather cycle may mean that pelicans will be more common around Canberra this summer because there may be more water available.
I think these birds are fantastic, with their ability to soar on thermals, meaning they can stay aloft for 24 hours and cover thousands of kilometres. They have even been recorded flying at a height of 3000 metres. Beyond that fact, their bill can hold up to 13 litres of water with that expanding pouch beneath it. That is 13 standard milk bottles. Think of that next time you are at the grocery store, count out 13 bottles to see how much that is.
Australian Pelican as I first saw it standing on a rock in the Molonglo River
(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])
This one new how to pose
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Seeing and photographing the pelican made my morning, I also spent far too much time watching taking photos of the bird, I just have a soft spot for this species. I had to remind myself that I had come out to photogaph in a pine forest so I had better actually get there. The forest started on the other bank of the Molonglo River which I reached by crossing over the wide, concrete weir that was set low on the river and invariably floods after heavy rain.
I often ride my mountain bike through these forests on my way to work so I had an idea about the type of shot I was after. There are some cool mountain bike trails that carve through the forest making for a great way to clear my mind on the way to the office.I wanted to use a trail in my shot this morning as way to lead the way through my photograph. I also wanted the light and shadows to provide an interesting contrast in the photos. I am not sure if I achieved what I wanted to but I was happy with the way the shots turned out. I have included a couple of them below. I used a tripod to ensue the camera was still and to allow me to frame my shot. I really wanted some riders to come through to see how their blur would look in the photos but while there were people riding, they were on the other trails, not the one that I was on.
The final shot is of a small wattle bush growing in the pine forest. The wattle was lit by a shaft of light, almost providing a natural spot illumination on this bit of Australian nature trying to claw some living space back from the introduced flora.
The mountain bike trail through the pine forest I was using for the focus of the photograph
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 100, 40mm, f/16 and 1/6 SEC])
A different part of the trail
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 100, 40mm, f/16 and 1/6 SEC])
Wattle growing beside the trail
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 100, 40mm, f/16 and 1/13 SEC])
I have learnt that when I am using my Canon EOS 6D Mark II for macro or landscape shooting to have my Canon EOS 7D Mark II with the Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM slung on my shoulder so that I am ready when I see some wildlife that I want to photograph. This was the case that morning when I saw a White-browed Scrubwren moving through a pine tree. The tree was in the shadows so I already had my flash on the camera with the settings dialled in and tested. The scrubwren was mainly active in a large blackberry bush but it did fly up into some surrounding trees. There may have been at least two of them but it was hard to get a photograph with the birds flying around so quickly in a shaded area. The bird I was able to photograph had a caterpillar in its beak, which it had not eaten so it may have been taking it back to some young birds.
White-browed Scrubwren with a caterpillar
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
There were a number of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in the forest as well. I liked this shot below because the sun was behind the roo giving it a bit of rim lighting on its fur.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo standing in some sunlight that was shining through the forest
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/250 SEC])
When I was walking out of the forest I noticed the stump below that I thought may make an interesting shot. I tried a could of angles and settled on the shot below. I set my aperture high so that I had more depth of field to allow me to get the first pine tree behind the stump in some focus. I also liked how the green vegetation to the right of the stump helped guide the eye to the trees in the background, well I at least hoped that is what people would see.
Burnt, old stump still standing in the pine forest
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 100, 40mm, f/22 and 1/15 SEC])
I left the forest, retracing my path back over the Molonglo River weir to the public bridle path. However, this time I turned off the bridle path to follow a foot trail through the long grass. While walking along that path I looked to the north, where I noticed the way the clouds were providing a nice background to Black Mountain Tower. I thought that it was worth a shot.
Black Mountain Tower seen from near the Molonglo Causeway
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/14 and 1/400 SEC])
The foot trail rejoined the bridle path after about 100 metres. The bridle path was rocky with a number of Common Grass Blue (Zizina labradus) butterflies flying along it. One of them stopped long enough for me to get a shot of it. Interestingly with this species, although its caterpillars eat vegetation, it has been noted that captive caterpillars, if food is scarce, will cannibalise smaller caterpillars of their species for nutrition.
Common Grass Blue on a rocky path
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/10 and 1/500 SEC])
Following the path, I came to the top where it joined back up with the trail around the cross-country course. To the south was a paddock filled with small yellow flowers giving it a lovely green and gold appearance. A solitary immature WIllie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) was flying from some of the small trees to the ground, probably looking for food. It slowed longer enough to perch on an old water tap post. You can see if it was an immature bird by the brown on its wings. As it grows its top plumage will become completely black. The only white part of the bird, apart from its underside, are its white eyebrows, which is how it gets its scientific name, which is derived from the ancient Greek for ‘white eyebrows’. The birds use these eyebrows to signal to other birds of the same species, to keep away, if it is a rival, or come closer, if it is potential mate.
Immature WiIlie Wagtail on an old tap
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
In the same paddock there was a group of seven White-winged Choughs (Corcorax melanorhamphos) searching for food. One of them was a little distant from the group but upon realising that I was there it ran towards the other members, only slowing down once it was much closer to the group than it was to me. After grazing in that paddock, and appearing to have a few arguments within the group along the way, the birds then flew a short distance to the cross-country course paddock. Unfortunately, the local Australian Magpies were not happy, with the resident pair taking turns to swoop the choughs in wide u-shapes. The choughs would group together, while squawking at the magpies, but did not use their numbers to fly after the magpies or attempt to intercept them. After the magpies had departed the choughs would go back to eating, even though the magpies were often walking on the ground or perched in small trees about 20 metres from where the choughs were.
Adult White-winged Chough running to where the group was - I just liked the black contrasting with the flowers
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
The group of seven choughs looking for food
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])
There was also a lone Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) in the acacia tree where the bridle and cross-country paths intersected. This lone bird was looking for food in the tree before flying off west to another nearby tree.
Silvereye in a wattle tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Below are two pictures of one of the Australia Magpies (Cracticus tibicen) that were swooping the choughs. Magpies are territorial throughout the year but it is breeding season now, which means ‘magpie swooping season’ but I am not sure if this swooping was connected to protecting a nest. Both birds were down looking after the choughs, which would have left their nest unprotected from nest predation, a situation that does not make much sense if there were eggs or young birds in the nest.
Australian Magpie swooping the group of White-winged Choughs
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])
Australian Magpie flying
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])
Continuing my walk back to where the car was parked, I was almost back at the start point when I noticed the wonderful colours of a gold-dust lichen (Chrysothrix xanthina). This is a common lichen that grows in a few countries. In Australia it is found on rocks and trees.. I just liked the way the colours all worked in with each other.
Lichen on a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/100 SEC])
Later that morning I was gardening, while also carrying my camera, when I noticed a Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae) land on our lavender. I was able to get a snap as the butterfly fed on the nectar of the flower. These are the most common butterflies I see but I am addling native flowers to the garden in the hope of attracting a range of butterflies.
Cabbage White Butterlfy on a lavender
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/3.5 and 1/250 SEC])
The next day I noticed a strange bit of mud on a door frame in the house. I thought it was unusual to have a small lump of mud that high up on the door frame, at chest height, like a chunk of dirt had been displaced by very dirty hands. Instead of wiping it away I thought that I would take a photograph. After taking my first photograph I realised it was not a spot of dirt but the case of the Australian Bagmoth (Cebysa leucotelus) caterpillar. Indeed, while I was photographing it, the case wagged from side to side briefly like some dirty pendulum. The next morning I thought that it was gone, because I could not see it in the same spot. It was only later in the week that I found it on a another door frame. To stop my wife wiping it into oblivion as a piece of dirt to expunge, I have placed it in protective custody in a clear container with plenty of air and leaves. I am hoping that I will see the moth emerge. I will then take a photograph before I release the moth and keep the case. As you can see, this case is not very large, if it was not on a white surface I am sure I would have missed it. I hope it does pupate and emerge as an adult female, because they do not have fully formed wings and have to walk everywhere. Still, I will be happy if it is a male as well, because it was interesting just reading about this tiny moth.
Australian Bagmoth caterpillar in its case
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite)
I enjoyed the challenge of photographing in the pine forest. I felt very lucky because I knew that I would not see much life inside the forest so I was happy with what I saw on the way to the forest, especially the pelican. The photographic walk was a lovely way to start Sunday, taking the time to have a closer look at an area that I often ride through quickly on the way to work without really noticing it.
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.