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.
Read MoreA large Australian Wood Duck family and macro shooting, including my first frogs - Photographing around Canberra in April 2020
I am still trying to get back into a routine but life always seems to get in the way but at least I got out a number of times in April. I was happy to get out at night a couple of times to do some night-time macro shooting. My son even came out with one time to Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve and pointed out my first frog, which I had already walked straight past. As there were school holidays we went out for some afternoon walks around Red Hill Nature Reserve and he patiently waited for me to take some photographs. Even though Canberra was still in the middle of the COVID-19 restrictions it was an enjoyable April and I also made another video that you can watch in this post. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MorePurple Swamphen chicks, parrots and other great wildlife enjoying the green from the rain - photographing around Canberra in January to March 2020
The start of the year felt very busy, I was out and around Canberra but I did not seem to have much time. I was out photographing but I could not find the time to process and organise the photographs I had taken so I ended up with a lot of photos and no blog posts. Although I do not like composing long posts that cover several photographic trips I thought that would be the best way to allow me to publish the photographs below. There are a mix of photographic styles and subjects from various parts of Canberra with a number of different subjects. Some of these were captured while I was out specifically looking for photographic subjects, others were shot while I was out doing other things but had taken my camera with me. There are a number of birds and other animals below. I really enjoyed photographing the Purple Swanphens, even if they are common birds. I was also happy to photograph the Australian King-parrots that visited my garden because they are truly beautiful birds.
Read MoreSeabirds, New Holland Honeyeaters and wonderful shorelife - Photographing around Sydney in December 2019
Being in Sydney over Christmas in 2019 was a chance to get away from the smoke in Canberra. It was also a great opportunity to photograph the shore life around the south-eastern side of Sydney Harbour, including the birdlife. Strangely, it was hard to find too much birdlife so I am not sure if the December weather patterns and bushfires had made it harder on Sydney birds than usual. However, I did enjoy photographing some Crested Terns and a Pied Cormorant, although they were at a distance from me so the shots are not the best. I also had the opportunity to do macro photography of some cool insects I found around the place. The weather was mostly pretty good with reasonable light, although there were some gusty winds at time. Still it was nice to enjoy the photographic opportunities I had. I hope you like the pictures below.
Read MoreGang-gang Cockatoo in a hollow, another Dollarbird and some interesting insects - Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve on Sunday, 24 November 2019
The birds on Red Hill Nature Reserve were fantastic this Sunday morning despite the overcast and cloudy conditions. There were so many Gang-gang cockatoos around, including a quiet male being a sentinel at the entrance to a hollow. I saw another Dollarbird on a different part of the hill to the one last week, as well as my first ever Cicadabird. I was also glad I had my macro photography set-up with me as there were some interesting insects, including from the day before when I went walking around my yard with the macro camera. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreA possible pair of breeding Gang-gang Cockatoos and Satin Bowerbirds practicing their mating dance - Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 2 November 2019
Red Hill Nature Reserve was its usual awesome destination. I started on the Garran side before crossing the Federal Golf Club to get to the reserve proper. It was a fantastic morning where I think I saw a breeding pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos. There were also some other birds showing interest in hollows, which is a good sign at this time of year. There was also a group of Laughing Kookaburras, and I always enjoy seeing them. I hope you like the photographs below.
Read MoreNankeen Kestrel's mating and an active group of Striated Pardalotes - Photographing around Callum Brae Nature Reserve on Sunday, 22 September 2019
Callam Brae Nature Reserve really turned on a special morning this Sunday when I was walking around. I had not been in the reserve for long when I saw a Nankeen Kestrel. Just as I started to move away from that kestrel a second kestrel came along and the birds started mating. Further on I also enjoyed the challenge of trying to photograph a group of Striated Pardalotes. Beyond the birdlife the reserve was still experiencing challenging times with the two ponds I visited having very low water levels. In the first one, the pond looked like it had dried out at some stage but the recent rains had filled it up slightly. Strangely, the ground beneath the water must have been very dry preventing liquid absorption as the rain water resting on the top was almost clear. The water was not the usual colour of liquid content in these ponds. The weather was lovely on the day making it a glorious start to the day. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreTwo pairs of Gang-gang Cockatoos were checking out trees and some other random photos - Photographing around Hughes and Garran on Sunday, 25 August 2019
This Sunday was not my typical Sunday. I did not go for a drive to take photographs, I just went for a walk around the Hughes-Garran boundary near the Federal Gold Club to see what photographic subjects I could find. I was able to find some Gang-gang Cockatoos, which is always nice. I also just found some random photographic subjects that caught my eye. Later on that day I had the camera out at home trying to photograph hoverflies in flight. Finally, in the afternoon, I went across to Westfield Woden, taking my camera with me to use on the way back. I used my 100mm macro lens and I was not keen on changing to the 40mm prime I was also carrying because of the strong wind; I did not want dust getting into the camera or lens while I was changing lenses. Still, I enjoyed the chance to be out taking photographs. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreConfirming I had seen Coconut Ants - Photographing around Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 8 June 2019
I was heading out later in the morning with my son to go to Namdagi National Park but I still wanted to have my usual walk on Red Hill Nature Reserve. I had to cut the walk short because we were going to leave early to go to Namadgi. A shorter walk on Red Hill was not really a problem as the weather was cloudy and slightly foggy so not the best for photographing birds. I did not see many birds that day, in fact my only really bird shot was at the top of this post and shows a number of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos waiting near a house for food. Beyond that bird photograph I was really just trying to get more photographs of the Coconut Ants from my previous walk to confirm what they were.
Read MoreWater birds in the fog and Brown Thornbill looking for food, plus some amazing looking insects - Photographing at Uriarra Crossing Reserve and home on Sunday, 2 June 2019
I enjoy being beside a slow-moving river, there is something relaxing in the sound of the water leisurely flowing past. I enjoy it even more when there is birdlife going about its business while I watch the events unfold. That is probably why I again found myself sitting beside the Murrumbidgee River on a cold, foggy Sunday morning at Uriarra Crossing thoroughly engrossed in the moment without worrying about the frigid temperature. There were some lovely birds down near the river, including a Little Pied Cormorant and a White-faced Heron sharing the convenience of a toppled-over tree. This post also includes some photographs at the bottom that I took at home later that morning, when I was supposed to be cleaning up the backyard. In moving some wood I came across some fascinating creatures I just had to photograph, before I returned to cleaning up the garden.
Read MoreAmazing spiders, interesting insects, drenched kangaroos and beautiful scenery - Photographing around Canberra on Friday to Sunday 24-26 May 2019
This was not the weekend I had planned nor was I expecting. I started photographing on Friday afternoon when I again had to go to Westfield Woden Shopping Centre so I decided to walk back home while taking photographs. The weather on Saturday, while cold, was fine enough to photograph around Red Hill Nature Reserve. However, on Sunday morning there was rain and I was wondering if I would get out to Mount Taylor Nature Reserve. Happily I did. Monday, a public holiday in Canberra, no such luck, it was bleak; wet and cloudy for most of the day. I think the bad weather made it harder to see birds over the weekend as they had either gone or were trying to find ways to minimise energy loss in the face of the colder temperatures. The kangaroos I encountered on Mount Taylor on Sunday were drenched with rain but their fur coats appeared thick, probably providing needed insulation. Rain drenched birds would be cold but would also find it harder to fly. Sorry, there are no bird photos below but there are kangaroos, spiders, insects, landscape and one dinosaur skeleton (photographed in a museum). I hope you enjoy the photographs.
Read MorePhotographing at Red Hill Nature Reserve on Tuesday evening, 18 December 2018 - Gang-gangs and Tawny Frogmouths
On the evening of 18 December 2018, the same day I had been out to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, the indefatigable JackyF organised a group of interested local residents to locate potential nesting hollows on the Federal Golf Course that backs on to Red Hill Nature Reserve. As this activity happened in the evening the light was already fading, challenging my ability to photograph birds. I wish my skill level was better so I could capture birds in this fading light. At the end of the walk we were really fortunate to see a group of Tawny Frogmouths, of which I have one passable image in this post. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Read MorePhotographing at Red Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, 17 November 2018 - Gang-gangs, Straw-necked Ibis and some interesting insects
I decided to upgrade my camera so my walk around Red Hill Nature Reserve was extra special for me since I was using a new camera I had been wanting for a while. I have upgraded to a Canon EOS 7D Mark II. Combined with my 100-400mm telephoto lens, it is a heavy unit to carry but I am already enjoying the better sensor and faster auto-focus than my old Canon DSLR. The light improved this morning from a cloudy start so I really enjoyed shooting with a camera that is almost designed for bird photography. The birdlife was plentiful with the Gang-gangs always available for photographs. I loved seeing the Straw-necked Ibis on Red Hill. Not only were they great subjects in flight to practice with the camera but their shiny plumage came through beautifully in the images. I also added to my kangaroo photographs this morning with some great subjects, including my first photograph of a real subject with my new camera. I even used my telephoto for some “macro” shooting of insects, which worked better than I thought.
Read MorePhotographing at Red Hill on Saturday, 6 October 2018 - nesting Gang-gangs and Wood Ducks
I was not sure of the weather on Saturday morning but really wanted to photograph so I headed out under an overcast looking sky. The ambient light was initially not great but the sun broke through to create a wonderful sunny Canberra spring day. I was rewarded for my diligence as I believe I saw a tree hollow possibly being used by Gang-gang Cockatoos as well as a second tree hollow probably occupied by some nesting Australian Wood Ducks. The birdlife is becoming more abundant as the days warm up although I suspect it will still get better as there has not been an explosion of insect life yet, although the flowering plants will probably cause more invertebrates to emerge shortly.
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