Sunday, 30 August was just such a beautiful morning it would have been a waste to stay home, sleeping in. Instead, I headed out early for Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve to the south of Canberra. Unfortunately, I was too keen, the gates were still closed when I arrived, which was a little unusual because in the past I have driven straight in, even before 7 AM. This day, may be it was a new rule to actually abide by the opening hours, the reserve did not open until its scheduled time of 7:30. While it was frustrating that I could not drive straight in, I spent the time wandering around just outside the entrance photographing things.
The most obvious subject was a lone tree standing to the west of the entrance road. I could hear birds around but I could not see them so I took a photo of this acacia. Although, looking at the photograph later I felt that I should have made the shot more of a panorama or at least had the tree more isolated from its background.
A lone tree just outside of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/160 SEC])
After photographing the tree, I was finally able to see some birds, one of which was perched on the fence I ws standing beside. Several Welcome Swallows (Hirundo neoxena) were whirling around the field in a brilliant display of aerobatics. I suspected that they were getting ready to nest but I could not see where they would find a convenient place to nest. Nor could I see an obvious source of where they would gather the mud from for their cup-shaped nests, but with the dampness of the ground due to recent heavy rain there was probably of plenty of muddy puddles around that could supply mud. These swallows do not mind using human structures for their nests, such as buildings, so may be the nearby visitors centre would soon have swallows flying under the eaves, a particular favourite place on buildings where swallow sometimes make their nests.
Welcome Swallow on a wire fence
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/160 SEC])
After the gates open, none of the cars lined up speed into the park, as the speed limits is 35 km/h, which is not very wise, because I do not want to kill some poor animal on one of the reserve’s roads. And there is always plenty of wildlife along the road into the heart of the park. So many kangaroos line the bitumen, staring at us strange humans in our box-like cars. Kangaroos do not think it is rude to stare, especially the joeys out of the pouches with their stumpy bodies and stumpy arms hinting at what they will grow into but marking them out as somewhat toddler-like.
My destination was Dalsetta Carpark as a few trails lead off from there. I normally follow the start of the Gibraltar Peak trail, but I know that I will only go a few kilometres before I find something to photograph, which is what happened that morning.
A male Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang), with his red chest was flying around the low shrubs. He was so easy to see because of his contrasting colours. I did shoot pictures of him that were away from the vegetation but I liked the one below because he has caught a juicy fly. I do not think the he ate it because I saw him at another bush where a female was perched. The male landed on her branch, where upon she was somewhat unromantic from a human perspective and emptied her waste from her back passage. He did not seem to mind because he fed her a lovely insect. May be she was just making room for the food he was presenting her. Males will feed the females while they are nesting but she was not on a nest and I could not see one in that bush. It is possible that they were pairing for the first time, and some birds species will pair with the Male bringing food to the female, presumably to prove that he can provide for her.
Scarlet Robin holding food that may have been for a female
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
In the same area as the robins there were a number of Yellow-rumped Thornbills (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa). They were mainly hunting on the ground but were also perching in some fo the small bushes and shrubs. One of them caught a large caterpillar. The bird was not mobbed by other birds so could deal with the stocky insect itself. I have seen this a number of times across different species of birds where the bird smashes the caterpillar repeatedly against a branch or piece of wood. Sometimes it is over the top swing, other times it is more of a drag of the insect. It normally continues until the caterpillar exudes some green ooze, or is obviously limp and soft. I am not sure why the birds do this, are they tenderising the caterpillar, killing it so that it is easier to swallow or trying to remove some of the green ooze. This just seems to be common behaviour across a number of birds of various sizes.
Yellow-rumped Thornbill with another one flying in to displace it
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
These really are small birds
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
One of them caught a nice, juicy caterpillar that was then tenderised against the log
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
Along with the other small birds there were a pair of Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) in a banksia tree. I could not get a picture of the female but I was able to obtain some shots of the male. His brilliant blue made it easy to follow him through the shrub,
Superb Fairy-wren male in a banksia shrub
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
The fairy-wrens were in a Honeysuckle or Silver Banksia (banksia marginata) tree. This is a common species of Banksia that can grow across a number of habitats and can take the form of a tree or a shrub. The flowers were still out, as seen in the photograph immediately below but a number of the flower hubs had already become seed cases, as seen in the next image underneath. The flower is a great source of nectar for a number of animals. Banksias are a wonderfully, iconic Australian plant named after Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist who accompanied James Cook when he explored the east coast of Australia. The Banksia cones were the inspiration of May Gibbs’ villains, the evil Banksia Men in her stories about the gumnut babies. I used my macro lens and then focused stacked the images to try to get the plant in sharp detail.
Banksia Marginata flower in the tree
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/100 SEC] focused stack)
The flower after the stems have gone leaving the seed pod, the ‘Banksia Man’
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/100 SEC])
While photographing the banksia tree I was among a mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). Possibly because I was so focussed on the tree, even if I was playing around with a tripod and camera, the kangaroos decided that I was not a threat so went about their normal habit of eating. While most of the mob was off to my right, there was lone male off to my left. He started moving toward the tree and for a brief moment I thought he had changed his mind about me and wanted to check me out more closely but he continued past the back of the tree. He stopped just behind the tree and I swapped cameras to my Canon EOS 7D Mark II that was hanging from a shoulder strap while I used my other camera on the tripod. I trained my 7D on his head, which was reasonably close, as well as his front claws that were also not far away. These claws fascinate me because they seem so deadly for a herbivore. He uses these claws to grapple with other males and also to dig at plants in the ground. He looked towards the mob in a pensive sort of a way, with his ears pointing straight forward. After a moment he continued on slowly, using his front limbs to steady himself as he rested on his tail to swing his powerful hind legs forward. He passed close by another male, whose fur appeared a shade darker. The other male gave a long snort, turned his ears back and tensed his whole body in an apparent reaction to this possible competition. I thought a fight was about to occur but the first male kept making his way into the centre of the mob. The second male followed him but did not challenge him. I am not sure what I witnessed and which one was the dominant male but I enjoyed seeing this interaction because it exposed a a different side of kangaroo behaviour to me.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo male standing away from the mob
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 263mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
He seemed to be alert and studying the mob as he approached it
(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])
Kangaroos have impressive front claws
(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])
Another male tensed and made a grunting noise as the first male entered the mob’s area, he then followed the first male around
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Walking on from where I had my fascinating encounter with the kangaroos I got distracted by a bird that I could not catch up with but it led me to an area of the reserve I had not visited before. It was a densely packed area of shrubs and small trees beside a fire trail. There were a number of birds flying around, including this New-Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) who was enjoying being inside a tangle of branches. The bird may have felt safe in there as it was unlikely a larger bird would be able to enter that sanctuary.
New-Holland Honeyeater
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Walking back along the fire trail to the car park I came around a corner and saw a Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) and joey in a reasonably open area. These wallabies can be skittish so I kept to the side of the trail furthest from them. To get a photograph, I would slowly raise my camera, take some shots then work my way around a bit of a better angle to get a clear shot. The joey often disappeared inside the pouch but would always poke its head back out. The photo below shows just how big the joey can be and still be in the pouch. Yet, this wallaby could still hop, indeed it had enough of me and hopped away to a tree a short distance away.
Red-necked Wallaby and joey
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 340mm, f/11 and 1/200 SEC])
The Red-necked Wallaby was the last photograph that I took on Sunday, and it was a lovely way to end a visit to Tidbinbilla.
However, if I can rearrange time, the photos below are from the Saturday before. I did not go far from home that day, and in the afternoon I felt I just wanted to go out to use some of the lovely natural light, even if it was a little windy. So below are a number of photographs I took that afternoon around my yard.
Earwig nymph
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/7.1 and 1/60 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash, focus stacked)
Fly shadow on a leaf back lit by the sun
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/180 SEC])
Cherry Blossom
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/7.1 and 1/60 SEC])
I just love photographing African Daisies
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/7.1 and 1/160 SEC])