OK, I admit that this post may seem strangely familiar to the previous one, with an Australasian Darter as the main photograph heading an entry about kayaking on Lake Burley Griffin but the difference is this time I was using my Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. I had a feeling of trepidation this first time I used it, thinking that I was not stable in my kayak but I got used to the weight, loving the extra reach I could achieve with the zoom. I have been out twice now with this lens so this entry has ended up recording two trips that I took on Lake Burley Griffin. I love photographing water birds, especially cormorants, darters and pelicans so you will see some repetition with those birds below. However, the weather on these two mornings were different, the first was overcast while the second was sunny. I hope you like the photographs below.
I was doing my usual paddle, heading out to Scrivener Dam. I could see a number of Little Black Cormorants (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) in the water but they were skittish birds so swum away before taking to the wing to avoid me. However, eventually one bird stayed longer in the water. There was just a slight mist resting lightly on the water helping to seperate the dark bird against the misty white. There were also ripples in the water leading to the bird. These birds do not have waterproof feathers so they spread their wings to dry them although they can fly straight after emerging from the water, although I wonder if that is only for short distances.
Little Black Cormorant swimming on a foggy Lake Burley Griffin
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Paddling for another 30 minutes the mist burnt off and patches of sunlight started to appear. I then noticed a Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) swimming in the lake. The light was much better and the water was reasonably calm. This bird saw me as I was between Springbank and Spinnaker Islands, but it kept fishing by diving underwater and ensuring that I was never getting too close. This bird is Australia’s largest cormorant and it normally prefers freshwater but can live off the catch in coastal areas.
Great Cormorant swimming in the same lake, 30 minutes later after the fog had cleared
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Because the morning was fining up I decided that it was worth paddling for a little longer so I pointed my trusty kayak away from the exit point towards Springbank Island where I knew there were a multitude of nesting birds. Initially, I thought that I would take some photographs of the Silver Gulls but then I saw that the trees on the eastern end of the island were filled with Little Black Cormorants. There were at least 60 birds in the flock and they were mainly on the top branches. I tried not to get too close but as I approached, some of them started to fly away, even though I was far down beneath them. They did not go far, just to a tree further around the north side of the island. I ended up cropping the bottom photos into squares because I just liked how the cormorants filled up the space. I really liked the bottom photograph, it almost reminded me of a classical painting with all eyes turned in one direction except for one of the subjects because that figure had a message or hidden meaning associated with it.
A flock of Little Black Cormorants in a tree on Springbank Island
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 104mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
A close-up on the group
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Another study of a group, I just loved the way that three were looking in a similar direction but not the fourth
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
I kept paddling around the north side of Springbank Island, fascinated by all the cormorants. Unfortunately, my kayak then appeared suddenly out from behind a bushy, low-lying branch which startled two Australasian Darters (Anhinga novaehollandiae). One of them took off immediately, flying northwards before curving back around south to the western end of the island. The other bird was undecided about what to do, looking like it was going to fly but it was also looking towards the water. I kept my distance because I felt that I was stressing it enough. I only took a couple of phtoogrpahs because I did not want to upset the bird more than I had. This bird was probably a female given its clear white mark on its cheek. The bird that flew away was almost similar in colouring to the bird that stayed put, meaning that it was unlikely to be the very darkly coloured male bird. Darters are solitary birds, only pairing up during mating times, which can happen at any time when the conditions are right, although generally that means spring and summer.
Australasian Darter
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Turning around the western end of Springbank Island I paddled south towards the eastern end of Spinnaker Island so that I could swing my kayak around and have the sun behind me as I slowly moved along the north of Spinnaker Island. Again, I found myself photographing the ubiquitous Silver Gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) on the island, including this pair below who looked to be changing shift on the tree stump. The landing bird changed positions with the bird already on the tree stump with very little apparent aggression. Then, that stationary bird, moved slowly to the left of the tree stump before taking to the air.
Silver Gulls on a tree stump
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The wind had picked up a little and was blowing me westwards along the northern side of Spinnaker Island. It was not a strong wind but with just enough force that I was noticeably drifting whenever I ceased paddling to take photographs. That meant that my compositions were constantly changing as I drafted away from my spot where I stopped paddling. The advantage was that it allowed me to contemplate the bank as I drafted past while also getting different angles on subjects as my position to those subjects changed between shots. I came across this old tree stump that had been cut at some stage and was now slowly decaying and breaking as its roots snapped off.
Tree stump on Spinnaker Island
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 188mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The stump was not far from a pair of Australian Reed-warblers (Acrocephalus australis) who were moving through the reeds, while calling regularly.
Australian Reed-warbler on a reed
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
From Spinnaker Island I headed back to Yarralumla Bay where I had launched from. I was very happy to see that an Australian Pelican was still on the swimming pontoon where it had been when I set off for my paddle. I allowed my kayak to drift towards the pontoon as I took photographs. There were also three other birds on the swimming pontoon, all different species.
Birds on a swimming pontoon near where I finished
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is truly a large, impressive bird that appears ungainly on the land but looks effortless when it swims and can use air currents to fly vast distances. This pelican seemed content on the pontoon and was not too put out by my attention, although it did drop off the back of the pontoon into the water after a little while.
Australian Pelican
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
However, it did not take much for the Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius) to decide to leave. It did not just hop in the water, it took to the wing. Cormorants sometimes seem to take a little while to get airborne. You can see how this one was using its feet to help propel it forward or maybe stay out of the water as it gathered speed to increase the lift and take off.
Pied Cormorant taking-off from the pontoon, pushing itself off the water
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
On the other hand the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) seemed completely non-plussed, only making a move towards the edge after the other two had departed. It did not leave the pontoon and in the end I stopped getting closer because I had already disturbed the two other birds.
Great Cormorant on a swimming pontoon
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/500 SEC])
I really enjoyed being out with the longer lens, which I grew more confident using every time I took it out to take a photograph. I was disappointed that the clouds did not clear more so the light was better for photography but I knew that I wanted to head out again with that lens.
So the next weekend I found myself back out on the lake with my longer lens again. I was rewarded for my diligence with a clear sky where the sun was providing wonderful natural light. Its was another wonderful morning kayaking on the lake, with the added reward of warmer weather.
I knew that one subject that I wished to photograph was what I had termed a relaxing position. There were some chairs and a table under a willow tree right on the edge of the shore. It just looked like a lovely spot to sit and watch the day begin then watch the world get on with its day.
Someone’s spot to watch the world go by
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 104mm, f/13 and 1/250 SEC])
A little further on from the resting position, I could hear then I saw a pair of Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus), male and female, flitting between some of the lush plant life on the shore. Rather than rush in to the area they were moving around, I slowly curved the kayak away from the bank in a wide turn so that I could line the bow of the kayak towards where they were. I started to paddle but not too quickly, just enough to provide sufficient momentum to maintain direction. While I was drifting closer to the shore I focussed my camera on a fallen branch that the fairy-wrens had been using with the intention of dialling in the appropriate settings to photograph these ever-moving birds. As if on cue, the male landed directly on the spot I was testing settings with, he could not have down better if I had marked it with a black cross and a sign asking birds to stand there. I recovered from the surprise of his magnificent blue standing on what had been dull wood only a split second before. He stayed for a few seconds before he flew off into a bush. The female did not follow him onto the branch but stayed slightly further back, where it was harder to photograph her because of tall grass stems.
Super Fairy-wren male that landed just where I was getting my settings sorted out
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/13 and 1/250 SEC])
Backing away from where I had run the kayak on to the shore I noticed this fungus growing on a tree. I snapped a few shots because I knew it was a composition people could not obtain from the land.
Fungus on a tree
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Paddling a bit further along, I was taking it easy, staying close to the shore looking for things to photograph. The morning was lovely, with the sun already lighting up the side of the lake I was on, I was feeling warm enough and it was very peaceful. I paddle into an indentation or, if you were generous, a small bay. There was a small, dead tree. possibly a willow tree, sticking out or a mound of dirt protruding from the water surface. The mud had some lush, green grass and moss, in strong contrast to the lifeless, grey tree. I thought that I would take a photo.
A small dead tree and what I have optimistically called an island
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 108mm, f/10 and 1/320 SEC])
Heading back to where I launched the kayak from I noticed a single Australian Pelican on each of the two swimming pontoons. Both were sitting. When I got too close to the nearest bird it stood up so I backed away. Eventually it returned, not to a sitting positing but to resting its beak along its back. The bird that was further away did not move. Both birds started to get swooped by magpies from the shore for some reason. I was very happy with the head shot of the closest bird because it showed how colourful a pelican beak can be. I was fortunate that it was a sunny morning and that the sun was almost behind me when I took the photographs.
Head study of an Australian Pelican
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/10 and 1/320 SEC])
Acting coy
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/10 and 1/320 SEC])
A different pelican showing the colouring on the bill
(Canon EOS 6D 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 pontoon further away also had a Great Cormorant resting on it. There was no issues between the species, with both birds snapping at the swooping magpies. Even when the pelican opened its massive beak in a huge yawn close to the cormorant I did not detect any movement from the cormorant.
Great Cormorant
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/320 SEC])
After those final sightings it was time to head to the shore so that I could return home.
Later that day I went out to the front garden where I came across a Knobbled Orb-weaver (Eriophora pustulosa) in its web consuming what looked like a honey bee. The spider’s web was among our lavender plants so a prime location if she was after the bees that were harvesting the pollen from the lavender. Because of the way that she had made her web I was able to shoot her top and bottom.
Top view of a Knobbled Orb-weaver in our garden consuming what was most likely a bee
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/18 and 1/100 SEC])
Bottom view of the same spider
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/18 and 1/100 SEC])
While I was photographing the orb weaver a Greenish Grass-dart (Ocybadistes walkeri) flew onto a grass stalk making for a lovely photograph. I was intrigued by the unique way it folded its wings. This butterfly is one of the skippers. This family caused confusion for a while, originally being part of a superfamily in Lepidoptera, butterflies and moths, but eventually they were classified as butterflies. All of the Australian species are part of the Trapezitinae sub-family and exist only in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The species in the photo is named after the English entomologist James John Walker.
Greenish Grass-dart
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1000, 100mm, f/18 and 1/100 SEC])
Thanks for reading this post 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.