I had recently ridden my mountain bike through the area of Denman Prospect, not realising that there was some bushland there. I was interested in returning with a camera because Denman Prospect is on the edge of Canberra, facing to the west and north-west, with rural land between it and the mountain ranges. While the bushland was very near a growing suburb I thought that it may be worth a visit to see what wildlife was around. I was so glad that I did visit because I had a wonderful morning and stayed far longer than I planned. I spent most of my morning exploring Stringybark Hill, which did not seem to be an official reserve and contained what looked to be a lot of new growth native forest. I probably heard more birds than I saw or was able to photograph because the bush was reasonably thick, with a dense canopy that hampered lighting but also kept the undergrowth under control. The open areas had tall grass and other plants, keeping me on the look out for my first opportunity to photograph a snake, which did not happen. I really enjoyed my walk and I was constantly distracted by things to photograph. I will certainly be returning to this site in the future. I hope you like the photographs below.
The weather on that Sunday morning was not promising, with heavy, overcast skies. However, I was fortunate because the sky had some patches of blue sky that let the sun shine through, so I occasionally had some very good lighting.
Moody weather was not promising for the morning
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/11 and 1/250 SEC])
I parked near the Denman Prospect shops then I began the walk to Stringybark Hill. There was a bridge to nowhere that will probably connect a future part of the suburb but at present joins a modern sealed road with a fire trail that has probably been there for decades. The pine forest adjacent to the fire trail was being logged so the usual walking path was closed. In its place a temporary path plowed through the wild blackberry plants and still allowed easy access to the hill. I was not sure how official the name Stringybark Hill is because it was not on any map that I consulted before or after my visit. I wondered if this hill had been cleared be settlers spreading out beyond the great dividing range before Canberra’s creation but had been re-planted with vegetation once the capital was established and displaced a number of those pre-exisiting rural land holdings.
Dead trees on Strinybark Hill
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
Walking along the path that curved its way through the thorn-covered thicket of the pest BlackBerrying plants I was heartened to see that Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) were making good use of the cover provided. Initially, I couldn’t see a male but on my way back through that area later in the morning I saw the male. There were at least three of these insectivore birds moving quickly through those thorny bushes. The birds were constantly calling, that noise was what alerted me to their presence, well before I saw them. It almost appeared that they would see me through the leaves, then they would fly to the top of the bush to get a quick look at me before again ducking back into the thicker vegetation. They only have small territories so I was quickly through their patch.
Superb Fairy-wren female
(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])
Superb Fairy-wren male, only apparent on my way down
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
In approximately the same area there were three Red-browed Finchs (Neochmia temporalis). They were flying between the blackberry shrubs, small trees and large trees. At least of these colourful birds landed on the fire trail, finally giving me a chance to get a photograph. They crossed-crossed the area while I was watching them. These birds are generally ground feeders, eating small insects and grass seeds.
Red-browed Finch on the trail
(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])
I believe that this was a Robber Fly of the species Cerdistus exilis, which is a non-local Australian native. I could not find much on this species, including which part of Australia it is endemic to. These flies are hunters, having claws on their legs to catch prey with, which they then inject with poison that turns the insides of the captured insect into liquid that the robber fly sucks out. This species was described in 1838 by the French entomologist, Pierre-Jusitn-Marie Macquart, working in France probably from the collection supplied by Jules Dumont d'Urville with René-Primevère Lesson. This individual was very calm. I was able to take some handheld flash-assisted shots with a camera without disturbing it, I was even able to set up a tripod to put my camera on without making the fly scared. Even when I left the fly was still as this photograph shows it, on the trunk of this tree.
Robber Fly
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/10 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
In the same area where I saw the Robber Fly above I noticed first one, then a second Lagriine Darkling Beetle on the ground. I was getting ready to phtoograph them when I noticed two of those beetles apparently in mating positions slowly moving around on a stone. They were wandering over the stone with the male on the back, potneitlaly getting ready to use his aedeagus to insert a sperm capsule into the female. He was well attached to the female while I was watching, no matter which way she crawled he stayed on her back. In the picture below you will note that there is a yellow object at the end of the male, while the female seems to have a clear substance dragging behind her.
Lagriine Darkling Beetles mating with the male on the top and female on the bottom
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/14 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
Further on the bright, metallic green of this Bristle Fly caught my attention. The fly was stationary on this dead twig. The conditions were not as dark as the photograph portrays but in using the flash the background appeared very dark. Interestingly, when trying to photograph this fly, I thought that it was dead because my flask was not disturbing it. I thought that I would try to capture a different angle, so I tried to shoot the fly’s upper surface. When I circled around the twig to get to a different position, I was still not able to shoot the top of the fly, so I tried to keep circling around. It was then that I noticed that the fly was shuffling around the twig to keep pace with me so that it always had its side, and presumably eye, presented to me.
Bristle Fly
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
I was now getting close to the area that I had planned to look at in greater detail, yet I had taken a while getting there because I had already photographed a number of subjects. I could see the rocky outcrop that I was aiming for but before I arrived there I disturbed a Tau Emerald dragonfly (Hemicordulia tau) that flew up slightly, but in a very uncertain flight, before it alighted on a dead shrub not too far in front of me. Initially I used my telephoto lens to shoot some pictures but I realised that the dragonfly was staying still. It may have been waiting for the sun to warm it because this summer has been cool, with the nights not being overly warm. The lack of movement allowed me to swap to a macro lens and flash so that I could take more detailed shots. This was probably a female given the straight anal appendages. Dragonflies will venture far away from water that they need for laying eggs but beyond that they are capable hunters that can roam in order to find food.
I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of photographing dragonflies because they are such colourful and interesting subjects. The colours of this dragonfly show what I mean, the metallic blue against the strong yellow and even finely ribbed wings have a colour tinge to them. I was glad that this dragonfly was so stationary because it allowed me to get much closer to focus a shot more on the head region.
Tau Emerald dragonfly
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 160, 100mm, f/10 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
Close-up of the head
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 160, 100mm, f/10 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
While I was photographing the Tau Emerald the beautiful, shimmering, gold body of a Golden Spiny Ant (Polyrhachis semiaurata) caught my attention as it moved through the undergrowth. The bit of sun coming through the trees glistened off its head. I was frustrated that the ant kept moving and I was having trouble focussing with all the little bits of vegetation in the way. While these are common ants, this was my first time seeing one and I was transfixed by its golden colouring. I will keep a look out for these ants in future, I want to get some better pictures because this ant really was stunning.
Golden Spiny Ant
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 160, 100mm, f/20 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
There were different types of Tiger moths throughout the area. I would generally only know that they were there when I accidentally disturbed one that had been resting quietly in some foliage only to watch it fly away. Eventually I was lucky to find one under the branches on a tree that I was able to photograph. I took a number of shots but I liked this head-on photograph the most. Tiger moths are usually brightly coloured although this one was a bit dull but it still had the characteristic red and black banding on its body that gives these insects their common names. Like a lot of similarly coloured insects, those bright colours are a warning to predators to steer clear of these moths because they do not taste very nice. Interestingly, after dark when their colours are less obvious they emit a noise to warn and confuse potential predators.
Tiger Moth head-on shot
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/11 and 1/180 SEC] with Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
After all that photography I finally reached the area that I was aiming for, a rocky outcrop towards the west of this Stringybark Hill. I wanted to get to the outcrop to see if it gave me any views over the Molonglo Valley and I also thought that it may be an interesting subject for drone shots. When I finally arrived, I realised that there was no view, the surrounding vegetation was too thick. I tried some drone shots but I was not completely satisfied, more with my efforts than the location. I think that I will have another think about the composition before I return but I did enjoy seeing this location.
From there I had I followed some animal paths back in the general direction that I wanted to head. By this stage I was far behind the scheduled plan but I was enjoying myself too much. However, as the temperature had started to warm a bit, I was worried that snakes may start to head out. I was keeping an eye out while I was moving through the long grass, as much as to avoid stepping on one as well as so that I was ready to photograph it.
Rocky outcrop that I was heading to
DJI Mavic Air 2 [ISO 100, 4.5mm, f/2.8 and 1/400 SEC]
Walking along I noticed a branch with a pine cone attached lying on the ground. The branch looked very old and dry. I looked up to survey the trees because I had only noticed Australian native vegetation, not pine trees. Further down the hill and across a fire trail there was a commercial pine plantation but not here. I then started to notice a number of small diameter stumps sticking low out of the ground, realising that at some stage there had been some young pine trees here. Whether they were part of a plantation that was closed quickly or the seeds had someone established themselves here I was not certain. The cut down pine trees all looked to have been similar sizes, which may suggest a plantation that had been chopped down as part of a plan, but I could not make out if there had been any order to the planted trees, which would have been a key sign of a plantation. Those trees were now long-gone, but not all were cleared away. Some trees had been cut over then left, still attached to their stump. One such tree that I saw almost looked like it still had sawdust on it but I think that it was more likely mould or fungus.
Mould on a small, felled pine tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Throughout the morning I was constantly avoiding the large Knobbled Orbweaver (Eriophora pustulosa) webs that were strung between trees, often it seemed, along the most ideal path for me to follow. I had tried to get a few shots of the spiders but it was not until I was on my return journey that I found the best opportunity. I was able to get a nice shot of the spider in its web, looking at what would be its underside. I then moved around the web that stretched well over a metre in size, moving well around a small tree that I assumed was an anchor for the web, but one of the strands must have been attached to somewhere else because I somehow spooked the spider, making it move, therefore ruining my chance to replicate the same shot from both sides. The colours and patterns of these spiders vary considerably but the knobs across their abdomen are the give-away for identification.
Bottom view of a Knobbled Orbweaver
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 640, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Top view of the same spider, unfortunately I bumped the web making the spider move
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Still walking back, a sizeable Common Brown Robber Fly (Zosteria rosevillensis) audibly landed on a leaf almost in front of where I was walking. Its impact making a sound like a seed pod falling from a tree. This fly was easy to see, even if its landing hadn’t registered with me because of the noise. As with the previous robber fly, this is a predator, designed to catch other insects, particularly bees, in flight.
Common Brown Robber Fly
(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])
I saw a number of Common Brown butterflies (Heteronympha merope) that morning but this was the best shot I took. They were all through the woodland and I often did not notice one until my clumsy stomping through the bush disturbed a butterfly on the ground. In this case, its wings were probably open to catch the morning sun’s rays, but they also helped the insect blend in against the leaf litter. If that failed the false eyes on the wings may help to confuse some animals looking to eat a butterfly as to what they had come across. The wing pattern marked this butterfly out as a male, the female’s pattern is similar but there is less bright markings towards the ends of the wings, making their wings visually darker.
Common Brown
(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])
I saw at least one Meadow Argus (Junonia villida) that morning, again, I may have seen more but I normally only saw the butterflies after I had disturbed them and I just had enough time to watch them fly away to a location behind vegetation making it hard to photograph them.
Meadow Argus
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
I am not sure what species of sawfly this larvae comes from and I am sorry that the picture is not great. They were low on the trunk, maybe less than a metre off the ground. I apologise also because the photo is not that sharp.
Sawfly larvae on a tree
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 286mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
I was coming to the end of a faint trail that I was following, which was more substantial on Google maps than in reality, when I saw a Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa) moving around the branches. Even though they are common birds I am still after the ideal picture of a sharply focussed bird looking down the camera with its tail all sprayed out. Unfortunately, this morning I was not able to take my ideal photograph but I was rewarded with shots of the fantail making its nest. Interestingly, although a source I read said that the bird constructed the nest from grass, this one was clearly using stringy bark, as you can see in the first photograph. The second photograph showed the nest with its tapering bottom, although I was surprised that the nest was only about one metre off the ground, not very high in an area where I assumed there may be feral cats and at least foxes. I also only saw one bird, although the sources say that both birds share the responsibility of building the nest. I had the bird under observation for at least ten minutes, in which time I believed that it visited the nest at least three times. It did not fly far to gather material, because I could hear it calling as it moved around the area, and I am certain that I only ever heard one bird. It would land on a branch about 1.5 metres above the next, call, then fly down to the nest where it would add the material to the nest. It would then circle around within the nest, appearing to adjust the nest both inside and outside. Sometimes it would appear low in the nest, at other times high. It would circle around a few times, before jumping onto the branch supporting the nest, and flying off to gather more material. I was not far from the nest, and very obvious yet the bird did not seem worried by my presence.
Grey Fantail gathering nesting material
(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])
The nest
(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])
Grey Fantail in the nest
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])
Although Grey Fantails are very common birds, I was on a high having seen this bird making its nest, being able to take my time to observe it while it went about its important labour without appearing to be bothered by my presence. It really gave me a buzz while I walked down the trail back to where I parked the car. As I approached the bridge over the water run-off canal I decided not to cross the bridge but to follow what I thought was an unofficial walking trail that went through the canal, or more accurately, through where the canal stopped. The dry canal was not large and had a very obvious ending where a possibly perennial stream lay that came down the shallow re-entrant between Stringybark Hill and its neighbouring hill. I am glad that I did follow that path because I came across an area of wet mud where a number of butterflies were pudding, gaining moisture from the damp ground. The most obvious butterflies were the Cabbage Whites (Pieris rapae), there were at least two, because their white wings caught what little sunlight that there was.
Cabbage White pudding in damp mud
(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 also up to about six Common Grass Blue butterflies (Zizina labradus) with some appearing to have truly mesmerising shimmering blue wings. I am not sure if they were longer out of the chrysalis or if they had more of a certain chemical in their system but their wings were a striking blue.
Common Grass Blue at the same wet mud
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
For what was really a small bit of bushland, I was really happy with what I had seen that morning. I also felt that I found an area that was not well frequented by people. Sometimes, well established reserves have very obvious unofficial paths that the constant movement of people have created as they move between places where a straight line is more convenient than the offical trails. I will certainly head back to the area, and I will try to do it during other seasons to see how the life changes throughout the year.
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.